Compersion
by PhantomGrimalkin
Summary: Victoria can't help but feel that her friend shouldn't have to be alone, and decides to take matters into her own paws. Slash. Don't like it, don't read it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: I vaguely know where I'm going with this, but I'm not quite sure how to get there or where to go after. I'm desperately new to Cats fanfic so apologize if it's been done to death. If the rating or anything changes, I'll figure out how to put it in big bold at the top of that chapter. Till then, it should be fluffily innocent. I rated it 'T' for possible language, since I've got a foul mouth and can't always help myself, so I'd rather just rate it 'T' rather than piss people off.

Also: I can't keep half of the feggin' cats straight. I really do try. But aside from a few obvious ones, I keep tripping over the names even after spending an hour trying to verify it, so I apologize for any mistaken identities.

Ah, yes, and I own nothing. I still have cats on _VHS_ from when I was a small kit myself.

* * *

The night of the Jelicle Ball had been a very eventful one by every account. There wasn't a single cat that hadn't found at least one part exciting enough to recount over and over again. Most either focused on Macavity's appearance or Grizabella's reacceptance, but another part had caught young Victoria's attention. Magical Mister Mistoffelees.

She had known Quaxo well enough before hand; he was always a friendly cat, shy as he is. But the white queen never thought of him as more than her childhood friend until the show he gave, rescuing Old Deuteronomy like that. The entire night Quaxo showed another side that she hadn't seen- he was confident and outgoing, and seemed to revel in the attention rather than avoid it as he normally did. The Rum Tum Tugger even vouched for him, which said something in itself.

Finding Quaxo had never been the easiest task, when he wanted to be gone he was gone, but Victoria was up for a challenge. With all the grace and poise she was known for, she wandered the junkyard searching his usual haunts. It took a bit more time than she would have cared for it to, but soon enough she had tracked him down.

Mistoffelees glanced up from his resting spot well before the other cat had approached; he sniffed the air gently until Victoria came into view. His ears perked up as she walked over, "What brings you here?"

"I was looking for you," she said softly, sitting next to the tom and looking him over with new eyes, "You put on quite a show last night."

The black cat chuckled at that, sitting up a bit straighter with pride. He had been nervous, who wouldn't be at being asked to perform such a feat, but he was glad he had. While he would never appreciate the same kind of attention Tugger did and probably could never lead or protect the way Munkustrap does, having an audience felt good.

The white queen moved a bit closer, nuzzling Misto's neck affectionately. "A lot of the queens have noticed as well… And I wonder which of them you've noticed as well." Mistoffelees tensed up.

"Victoria," he continued in a soft voice, "I think you might be mistaken about that last part- although I don't think you're right about anyone noticing me, either."

Victoria paused mid-purr, staring at the shy tom uncertainly. That certainly wasn't the reaction she had expected. She took a moment to compose herself before putting on a sly smile, "What about Cassandra? "

Misto looked at her for a moment, not sure how to respond to that. He supposed he'd been intoxicated by the limelight, and wasn't exactly thinking things through. It hadn't even crossed his mind that such an action would be taken that way, and still wasn't convinced it could be.

"Every magician needs a lovely assistant," he said with a shrug, "it didn't mean anything beyond that. I haven't actually thought about any queen like that..." He trailed off at this, he'd never said it out loud and now that he had he felt it was a bit odd. He was still a young tom, but those younger than him had certainly showed an interest in the queens.

"Never?" the white cat asked in surprise. Whispers and rumors she'd heard from the other cats came to mind, but she was sure they were mistaken. Her tone changed from surprised to consoling, "I'm sure you will soon enough, and when you do you'll make a fine mate."

"I suppose..." he agreed with an amused smile, resting his head on his paws, "You and Plato seemed quite close at the ball," his eyes sparkled as Victoria blushed demurely and batted at him with a playful paw. She was too much of a lady to kiss and tell.

"Don't just suppose... Everyone has to find a mate," she persisted, ignoring the comment about Plato. It was true that he'd be more receptive to her advances, but there was something about this rejection that she didn't want to let be. "Everyone needs to be loved."

Mistoffelees shifted himself to scratch his ear, unimpressed by her reasoning, "Why, though? I'm loved by my friends, aren't I, isn't that enough?"

"But without a queen, you can't have kittens!" Victoria balked at the idea, her ears shot backwards in disapproval, "Being loved by your friends isn't the same at all. You can't have kittens with your friends."

"Alright then," he said, standing up with a proud flourish, "Then I declare that I do not want kittens, and don't need a mate." Victoria just stared at him.

"You've genuinely never had any interest in... _anyone_? Surely you must have wanted the love of a mate, or a family?"

The tom sat back down, nonplussed by the reaction. He gave it some thought. He supposed he had, though probably not in the right way. Misto had always preferred the company of other toms. When he was a kitten that was normal, but he supposed now it wasn't so acceptable. There was a chance it was fine, but he'd never heard of such a thing, much less any toms feeling the same way, and decided to accept a life without a mate rather than face the others' scorn.

"I have in a way," he said with a twitch of his ear. This conversation was not going well. Why couldn't the ivory queen just accept his answer and go find a cat more interested? "But it's unimportant."

If the tom had any interest in ending this conversation, that answer was not the way to go. Victoria perked up instantly, "Was she already taken?"

A deep sigh was quickly followed by an eye roll, the pronoun felt sharper as if she'd added emphasis to that one singular word, though he knew she hadn't. Misto chuckled bitterly, "Not exactly... Let's just say it wasn't meant to be."

Victoria was not content with this response, and the white queen's insatiable curiosity had come into play. She knew what they said about curiosity and cats- but felt safe to say that she wasn't at great risk with Quaxo. Besides, how often was heartache due to an innocent misunderstanding? Who wouldn't want to help in a situation such as this?

"Quaxo," she playfully sighed, leaning against him and giving him the doe-iest bambi eyes a queen could manage, "won't you tell one of your dearest friends what happened? Or at least who this queen was? Was she of another tribe?"

"Victoria, my dearest friend!" he replied with a laugh, deciding to make the best of it, "Must you use those tricks on me?"

"If it will get you to tell me what's going on? Yes," She sighed gently, "Quaxo, you know I only want you to be happy." She glanced at him for a moment, thoughtful, "Was it a tom?"

"Why would you ask that?" he asked coolly, trying to act unaffected. Victoria stared at him, waiting for an actual answer, and Quaxo uneasily realized he was not getting out of this one so easily. A few moments of staring contest later, Quaxo nodded sheepishly, "Which is why it wasn't meant to be."

"That would do it," she sighed, "I don't think there are any toms… like you," the words came awkwardly but carefully. The queen was trying her best, which Quaxo appreciated. A distressed look came over her face, "It wasn't The Rum Tum Tugger, was it?" He was famous for breaking the hearts of queens, he hadn't started in on the toms as well, had he?

Mistoffelees stared at her for a moment at that, then laughed. Truthfully, that would have been his first thought if the conversation were reversed- but he had never thought of the Maine Coon like that. It was a waste of time when the queens vied for his affections- what hope could he have? He would also prefer someone with a less "notch-on-the-bedpost" style to mating, if he had to choose someone at all.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he had caught Victoria's hurt expression, and realized it seemed like he was mocking her, "I didn't mean it like that… I'd just never thought about that, even though I think even some of the straight toms have. Although he is a pretty obvious choice for everyone else." The white queen smiled at that, she certainly wasn't immune to the older tom's charms.

"So you don't plan on finding a mate?" she asked uncertainly before hastily adding a half-hearted, "It would be fine if you wanted to…"

"Do either of us know that for sure?" he asked gently, placing a white paw on her shoulder. The white cat looked elsewhere, uncomfortable with that truth. "I don't mind, really, I know that even if the others did accept it, it's unlikely I'll ever find someone to love. So why make everyone uncomfortable? If I never fall in love- does it really matter if it isn't with a queen or a tom?"

Victoria fidgeted uncomfortably, she wanted dearly to soothe her friend- to assure him that this wasn't the case, though she couldn't help but think he was right. Their tribe was fairly small, and she hadn't heard of such a thing except from humans. She also believed that if Quaxo thought it, it was true. For a young tom, Quaxo was quite intelligent and understood things fairly well.

"I don't know what else to say," She said gently, "you know what the elders say about such unions… but not all of us feel the same," the young queen sighed heavily, "I meant what I said. I only want you to be happy, my friend. I hope you can be alone."

Quaxo nodded appreciatively, insisting he could be happy without a mate and that she shouldn't worry. It sounded like she understood his desire to keep it a secret, and did appreciate her kindness about the subject. She clearly wasn't that comfortable with it, though, and he had no intention of bringing it up and testing just how kind she was willing to be.

***I feel I should mention that I'm not gay, and apologize if I completely fecked up the coming out process. It's something I'm not that familiar with.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I would've had this up as soon as I made the story, but I decided that the chapters were too dang short and I wanted to fix that. This one is Victoria heavy and includes straight characters. How unusual.

* * *

Victoria had spent more time than she realized thinking about the relevation about Quaxo. She had suspected, many had, she knew the jokes, but that it could be true? A tom with no interest in queens... She supposed it could happen, maybe it had happened before, but a jellicle? And why did she find it so terrible? Quaxo made it clear he wasn't looking for a mate, so it shouldn't matter. Of course, she couldn't help but wonder if that was for lack of interest in mating or a fear of the other's reactions.

The white cat sighed, she was relaxing on an old box not far from where Jenny and Jelly where chattering together, watching over the kittens. She carefully eavesdropped over their conversation. It came as no surprise to her that Jenny was sighing about how the Rum Tum Tugger interrupted her song, while Jelly tutted at his actions. She crept closer, her curiosity piqued.

"Of course, for all his flirting it rarely goes very far," Jellylorum shook her head, "He just loves putting ideas in the young queens' heads and soaking up their attention. Bombi might be one of the only ones who's gotten more than a kiss out of that cat"

"What?" Victoria asked, despite herself. She clapped a paw to her mouth, horrified at having revealed herself eavesdropping. That wasn't a polite thing to do, those two had taught her. The two older queens smiled, patting a spot closer to them to show they didn't mind her intrusion. She gracefully sat down, still feeling a bit embarrassed to be caught in such a way. "But they're throwing themselves at him… surely he would react to that?"

"Oh of course not, that tom only wants what he can't have," JennyAnyDots replied bitterly, shaking her head. "If Munkus had agreed to let him have a song in the ball- you know he wouldn't have sung it, instead he had to burst in and steal someone else's thunder."

"Oh, but we all loved yours Jenny, even if he did cut it a bit short," Victoria assured her. Jenny waved it away with a pleased smile. Victoria looked thoughtfully at the kittens for a while. She, and the other young queens, all thought that the Tugger had been with all of the queens his age.

"I'm sure he knows that "what they can't have" is the same appeal he has for most of the queens, too, and even some of the toms!" Jelly added, shaking her head, "Those ones had better find queens of their own before it's too late."

Victoria's ear twitched gently, but she didn't wish to betray Quaxo's trust or direct any unnecessary attention to herself. A strange thought popped into the ivory cat's head, and came out before she had a chance to stop herself. "But if he hasn't been with many queens, then he can't be as good as we thought!" She clasped a paw over her mouth as the two older queens stared at her in disbelief.

"Victoria!" Jellylorum gasped, unable to hide a smile on her lips, "If Plato heard you talking like that…" The older queens chuckled to themselves, and Victoria relaxed.

"Oh, I didn't mean… But when we got older and, well, _curious_ we had always assumed that he…" she blushed deeply, smiling apologetically, "I plan to stay true to Plato. It was just… Well, you know how young queens can be when they're talking about toms." She giggled uncomfortably, a pink blush just visible under her snowy fur. Jelly and Jenny shared a knowing look and chuckled.

"There is more to… ability than experience, little one," Jelly assured her with a nervous smile, "but you'll learn enough about that with Plato when you're older." Victoria's blush only deepened, a pleased smile creeping on her face at the thought.

"I hope so…" she whispered, hoping the older cats didn't notice. She looked inot the distance and daydreamed briefly about her new mate, and didn't notice Jellylorum and Jennyanydots had started whispering to themselves and giggling about the young couples among the tribe. She slowly pulled herself out of the dream and returned her attention to the two queens. A thought crossed her mind slowly.

"Can a jellicle be happy in life without a mate?" she asked, causing the other two to cast a questioning look on her. She played with her tail awkwardly, "I was just wondering…"

"I believe it has happened, it's not impossible. Is this about the Rum Tum Tugger again?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow as Jellylorum cocked her head to one side. Victoria shook her head shyly.

"Well, whatever it's about- There are ways to be happy without a mate, but it's fairly uncommon. Most jellicles need someone. A mate is someone who can always support you, and while the tribe will always do that, a mate is… special," Jelly explained with a fond smile. "I do hope you aren't worrying about that, dear."

"Oh, no, I have my Plato," she said softly. She looked at the ground sadly and worried about her friend again. Victoria looked at the two and gingerly hopped off the box she had perched on, her mind working a bit more than it probably should have.

"Thank you very much for your company," she said with a gentle bow of her head to each queen, and went to give the kittens some attention as she thought. She supposed that interfering with Quaxo's life would be unwanted, but she couldn't help but worry about her friend. After his display at the ball, he could probably have his pick of queens, but she didn't know how many- if any- toms had any interest in other toms. She sighed to herself, her good intentions outweighing common sense, this would not be as easy as she may have hoped.

---

"Victoria, what are you thinking about?" Victoria came out of her daze and turned to see her mate. She smiled gently at the tom's mostly white, framed face. She nuzzled him contentedly before sighing as she responded to her question, "I was just thinking about Quaxo…"

"Again? Vicki, do I need to be worried?" he asked with a chuckle, gently kissing her cheek. The tom settled down next to her, "You never did tell me exactly what it was about him you were thinking about."

"Oh, I can't Plato, not exactly. I gave my word…" she nuzzled him apologetically and he nodded, "I'm worried that he may never find a mate. I want to help him find one, but it's complicated."

"He shouldn't have any trouble finding a willing queen, although it wouldn't surprise me if he's that picky," Plato agreed, kissing Victoria's neck sweetly. "Does he even want your help? It's wonderful that you want to help him, it's one of the things I love about you, but sometimes you want to help with the wrong thing."

Victoria glanced at him for a moment, sighing gently and snuggling against him. "I suppose that's what makes it complicated. I know you're right, but I just want him to be happy."

"He's allowed to be happy in his own way, Vicki. We're happy with each other, but not everyone wants what we have," he kissed her head, wrapping his arms around his queen, "If you really want him to be happy- let him be happy in the way he chooses."

Victoria sighed gently, wondering if he genuinely was choosing that way or if fear was choosing it for him. She also wondered if he was right to be afraid. She didn't have the most positive reaction, true, but it had caught her by surprise- it was just unusual. It was something to get used to, not something to shun. She imagined the others would feel the same, the young queens and kittens might even find it cute. And it could be, Quaxo would look sweet with the right tom, although he'd look sweet with the right queen as well.

"Let it go, Vicki," Plato reminded her with a gentle nudge, snapping her out of her thoughts. She smiled up at the tom who knew her so well. She kissed him gently, deciding to let her tom take her mind off of it.

---

Of course, actually letting it go was the last thing that the young ivory queen could do. She hadn't even properly tried, and without doing so she felt like it would be wrong to Quaxo to give up, no matter how much he wanted her to do just that. She didn't even know how to start, really. There was no way for her to tell if any of the toms were interested in him without asking, and she couldn't do that without the risk of offending them or exposing her friend.

She looked around the junkyard, it was a fairly busy time of day. Bombi and Teazer were chatting, probably about the toms who were lounging a way off, from the way they kept shooting them glances and giggling. Tantomile and Coricopat seemed to be in their own little world, as they often did, staring off into something from a nearby bedframe. Her friends, the younger queens, were hanging off of Tugger's every word as he remarked some tale of daring to them, Etcetera's giggles and shrieks could be heard from there.

'_How can he not have been with many queens?_' she mused to herself, wondering how anyone (especially Tugger) would react if that became common knowledge. A thought came to her mind at that, and she tail twitched.

Some people suspected that Bombalurina's accounts of her times with the Rum Tum Tugger was really just talk, which would mean it was possible he hadn't been with _any_one. It could be just what Jelly said- he wants what he can't have, and as long as the queens throw themselves at him he won't want them.

The young white queen paused for a moment, thoughtful. She finally rolled off of the chair she'd been resting on, and headed off in search of the tuxedo. Hopefully he wouldn't find her meddling too annoying.

---

"Mistoffelees!" the black and white cat's eyes flattened and he tensed, annoyed. The rat he'd been chasing scampered away happily, pleased at his chance of freedom. The tom hissed with displeasure before turning around to see the white queen standing behind him, giggling at his display.

"Hullo, Victoria," he said with a heavy sigh, actually happy to see her despite his annoyance at his lost meal.

The white cat curled up on the ground next to him, "I'm sorry about that. But I was thinking about you."

"Will I like where this is going?" 

Her tail twitched, and she pouted softly. "Fine, you won't. But I was thinking, and I don't think you really want to be alone."

"I'm not alone, Victoria, I have other people," he insisted with a heavy sigh. "Look, even if I thought it might work out- there's no one I'm interested in now. I'm not going to mate with someone just for the sake of mating. If I wanted to do that I'd just choose a queen."

Victoria looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, the sunlight highlighting the soft pink tinges in her fur and making her appear to glow. She shook her head, pursing her lips and taking a deep breath.

"I was just thinking… that maybe there was a cat you might like…" Misto pretended to be uninterested, but his ears perked up instantly and she grew more confident, "And I'd like you to hear me out," his ears flattened again. The queen's voice turned to a nervous squeak, "Tugger?"

A hush fell across the grassy field they were both in, both jellicles frozen. Victoria steeling herself for the reaction, Quaxo trying to choke back his initial feelings to spare his friend. The cats were so still, that a mouse passed within inches of them unafraid, but neither moved to grab it. Hesitantly, the black and white cat tried to choose his words carefully, but he could only do so much.

"Really, Victoria, _Tugger_?" the conjuring cat spat the name out, flopping down on the floor and wondering why he'd gotten his hopes up. Yes, the cat was handsome- but he knew it too well. "Tori, I appreciate it, really, but _Tugger_? Even if he were interested in me- could you imagine him as a mate?" the tux scoffed. A good lay, sure, but he didn't really want that. He looked her in the eyes pleadingly, "I do appreciate it, but please. I'm fine alone."

Victoria sniffed, a bit hurt at that reaction. "What if it's all an act he does so people don't question why he hasn't chosen a mate? Maybe he could be gentle and sweet and—"

"Tori," he interrupted, "Do you genuinely believe that the Rum Tum Tugger, who's flirted with toms as well as queens, would be a good mate to anyone? That everything he does is an act to keep people from guessing he's queer- or do you just want to believe it?"

"I want to," she admitted sheepishly, sighing heavily, "I really want you to be happy, Quaxo, and why not with Tugger if I'm right?"

Mistoffelees studied her for a moment. The thought was unbelievable, to say the least, but he felt badly for rejecting her ideas when she only wanted to help. It wouldn't kill him to try, although it might embarrass him rather painfully, and since she only wanted to believe it- and didn't actually- he could do worse than engage in a bit of fantasy for her sake. He sighed, placing a paw on the white queen's shoulder.

"Victoria, I'll consider it- but I'm not going to let him toy with me," he said softly. She nodded appreciatively, smiling back at him.

Gently she asked, "May I tell him, then?"

"Tell him what?" the tom asked uncertainly. Any lies about him desiring the Rum Tum Tugger would be impossible to live down.

"That you, well, fancy toms," she said with a blush, and his eyes widened. There was no doubt in his mind that she hadn't told anyone, but he still felt his respect for the queen deepen that she would ask his permission. It made him realize just how grateful he was to have her friendship.

"Thank you," he said softly, she gave him a confused look at the gratitude. The tux just smiled softly at her, "You may. Just, be careful about it." Misto decided that, Tugger being who he was, it was unlikely that too much trouble would come from it. Telling anyone would result in attention moving away from the coon, after all.

"I will, don't worry," she said softly. The white queen blushed as a thought crossed her mind, "Do you think, I mean, it's well known that Plato's my mate. Would he respect that?"

The tuxedoed cat bit his lip uncertainly, that was a valid concern. He supposed Tugger did have a way with the queens that made it difficult to face him, and he knew that Victoria had been one of his fangirls, and probably still was. A sigh escaped his lips, "Look, Victoria, I don't know. If you think it's a risk- it's not worth it. Even if you wouldn't let anything happen, you know how Tugger is."

"No, I trust Plato and I know he trusts me. Nothing will happen," she told herself firmly. Her delicate face was hardened with resolve. "And I'll tell him beforehand so he knows what I'm plan— Wait, I can't."

The resolve fell from her face, and she looked uncertainly at her friend, apologetic. Quaxo smiled brightly at her, amused. He never expected anyone to take this seriously enough to care.

"Victoria. It's alright. You can tell anyone as you see fit. I trust you," he said with a smile. "It means a lot that you'd ask my permission, Tori, just please use discretion. And let me know who else you tell." The white cat blushed at that, a warm feeling in her chest that she was not only trusted with such a secret- but trusted to know who she could tell it. Although this most certainly wasn't the intent, it only made her more determined to find a mate for the mostly black tom. Ideas started forming behind her bright grey eyes.

"I think I owe you dinner, though," she said, straightening herself and smiling brightly at her friend. Victoria winked at his look of surprise, "I saw that rat you were chasing. Besides- I'm a bit peckish myself. Care to hunt with me, Mister Mistoffelees?" she asked this with a graceful curtsy.

As if on cue, the tom's stomach rumbled it's agreement. He chuckled softly and bowed to the queen, "It would be an honor, Miss Victoria."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't know if anyone's noticed, but I changed the title from 'Alone or Lonely' to 'Compersion'. I'm not using a literal definition, so it's partly referring to Victoria's desire for her friend to be happy, and also for something that'll come up _way_ later. And it sounds better. A little?

And thank you for your comment, Arianlyne! Warm fuzzies all around! And for the favorites/alerts/whatever. Man I'm new to this.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

The young tuxedo looked over at the voice curiously, he didn't think he was anywhere he wasn't supposed to be. For the first time in a few days he stayed near where the others were, watching their antics and interaction with amusement. He didn't care to join in, though, and instead sat on the rim of an old tire where he had a good view without being expected to join in.

"What do you mean?" he asked the tabby, who sat down beside him with a bemused smile.

"You're a hard cat to track down," Munkustrap replied with a friendly chuckle, "Although I guess it figures that I'd find you in plain site after I'd spent so much time looking for you." Quaxo only replied by cocking his head uncertainly, prompting the tabby to go on. The protector of the jellicles continued smiling, but his tone was more serious, "I had been meaning to thank you for bringing my father back the way you did. I think we all discounted your magic as parlor tricks- but you certainly proved yourself. You have the entire tribe's gratitude."

"Oh," he shuffled his front paws uncomfortably, not used to that sort of attention. It was the reason he'd been so hard to find the last few days, he wasn't sure if anyone would care but wanted to ensure that no one would make a fuss over it, "I was glad to help. Old Deuteronomy means as much to me as he does to anyone."

Munkustrap nodded solemnly at that, before standing up. "It does mean a lot to us, though," he insisted, "But I'm afraid I have to go now. I hope you won't be afraid to mingle with the others, though." The tabby bowed his head gently before making his way to wherever he had to go. Being second in command meant that there was almost always something for him to be doing, so that came as no surprise.

With a twitch of his ear, Quaxo flopped down on the tire. Munk's last words were in his head- that he shouldn't be afraid to mingle. He wasn't, really, he just liked his solitude. He enjoyed watching from afar, being around too many cats was overwhelming for him and always had been. It was a bit annoying to always have people assume this was because he was upset or just shy- it was just what he preferred doing.

"Weren't you avoiding everyone?" Turning to see who it was, though he already knew that voice, the young tom shook his head to reorient his thoughts. Tugger had come from the opposite direction that most people were, and caught Misto off guard. It was weird how hard it was to think about talking to the maine coon when Misto didn't know if Victoria had had a chance to talk to him.

"I still am, I'm just doing it a bit closer than usual," he replied vaguely, scratching behind his ear. "What are you doing so far from the others, don't you have fangirls to be enjoying?"

"Eh, everyone needs a break- even from pretty queens fawning over you," Tugger winked.

The tux sighed heavily, the uncertainty getting to him. "Did Victoria talk to you? I think she mentioned wanting to."

"No- was it anything important?" Tugger furrowed his brow slightly, the news of anyone wanting to _talk_ to him coming as a surprise.

Trying not to relax too visibly, Quaxo shook his head, "I'm sure it wasn't. Don't worry about it, I was just curious if she had or not."

"Right…" the Rum Tum Tugger did not sound convinced. Shrugging it off, he stood up, "I'll leave you to avoiding people, then. See you later, Mist."

"Bye," he muttered in reply, his tail twitching at the nickname. Not even bothering to watch the older tom leave, he curled back up on his tire and hoped that no one else would be bothering him for the rest of the day.

---

Several days after making up her mind to talk to the Tugger, Victoria still had no idea what on Earth she was going to say. The curious cat was fairly difficult to handle and you could never tell how he would react to something- other than that he'd generally react in a way other than you wanted him to. With almost anyone else, she could probably come up with a good way to deal with this.

The young queen sighed to herself. After spending most of the day with the other queens or Plato, she decided to take some time to herself to give this a bit more thought. It would probably take all her knowledge of subtlety and finesse to make this work, but she still felt that it was something she had to do.

Turning around a corner, she hesitated. A few hundred feet away she could see Tugger walking along, she could just barely hear him singing to himself and thought she could see a slight bounce to his step. He hadn't noticed her, but undoubtedly would see the pure white cat against the piles of rubbish, and it wasn't too late to turn back and make sure to avoid him.

She shook her head, this was just silly. There was no reason to avoid him just because she hadn't figured out how to tell him about something he didn't know she wanted to tell him about. With a deep breath, she continued walking towards him- as that was the way she was going in the first place.

"Hello, Tugger!" she said brightly as they passed, hoping that would be the end of it. For a moment, it didn't seem like he'd even heard her.

"Hey," he replied, stopping and turning. The queen paused, looking curiously at him. "Quaxo mentioned you wanted to talk to me- was he right?"

'_Damnit_,' she thought to herself, smiling that he would say anything. She hoped that meant her friend wasn't too opposed to the idea. "It's nothing important- I don't want to bother you if you're busy."

"I'm pretty open right now," he purred, "What's on your mind?"

She blushed gently, desperately trying to think of what to say, "Oh, it really isn't anything important, I'd just heard a rumor…"

"What sort of rumor?"

"About you," her blushed deepened, "Um… Some people were wondering if… well, if maybe all your flirting with queens was just an act… And you didn't really… um, like queens," she glanced up uncertainly at him, her voice had ended up barely a whisper. He just stared at her for a few seconds, his lip twitching as if he couldn't decide to frown her laugh at the idea.

"What people?" he asked finally, shaking his head and snickering.

Her eyes widened. She was glad that this was an uncomfortable enough subject that he hadn't caught on that she was lying, as it was something she was miserable at. "I don't know, I mean who can tell where rumors start?"

"Right…" The cat just laughed it off, "Well- either way, that's kind of ridiculous. I'll let you get on with whatever you were doing, see you later Vicki."

"Bye, sorry to bother you," she waved shyly, torn between feeling proud that she'd gotten through that and horrible because she didn't know what she just started. He didn't look angry, at least, it didn't seem like he cared at all.

---

"Hey, wake up."

The stars twinkled brightly in the sky, dusk had only just given way to the night and the small cat had only just managed to fall asleep before getting such a rude awakening. He opened a bleary eye to see a pair of angry eyes glaring intently at him.

"What?" he spat out, closing his eyes again. A large paw nudged him and the small tuxedo squeezed his eyes closed in rebellion with an angry hiss, "What do you want, Tugger?"

"Have you been talking about me?" Blue eyes flew open and looked at the other cat. A serious expression had no place on the flirt's face, yet there it was. Quaxo's brain was still foggy from sleep that he wanted desperately to return to, and tried to think of anything he'd done.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "I try not to even _think_ about you. Why would I be talking about you?"

"Victoria talked to me."

His paws stopped mid-rub and he slowly peeked out from under them, "What did she say?"

A long pause, golden eyes looked to the side as his brows furrowed. What on earth had that queen said to him?

"Something about a rumor." Quaxo stared at him uncertainly, hoping to hear a bit more about this "rumor". The larger tom seemed to catch on to this and replied, though it was clear he did not enjoy saying it, "That my flirting was just an act," He blushed, glaring somewhere else, not even wanting to say what else she'd suggested, "Did you have anything to do with it?"

Taking a moment to process the information, Misto shook his head. "No. Like I said- I don't even give you enough thought to come up with a theory like that. I don't know who did," he did, of course, and knew it wasn't actually a rumor. He offered up a weak smile, and decided to try and save Victoria's tail, "I hadn't heard anything like that. I don't think it was very wide-spread, she might have overheard what someone else said- that's how rumors work."

"Yeh." Tugger agreed, unconvinced. Mistoffelees hoped that this would mean he'd leave him alone, but no luck. Instead, the cat decided to sit next to him. The white-tipped tail twitched unhappily.

"You really don't think about me at all?" he asked doubtfully.

"No. Why should I?"

"I dunno, guess I'm just used to people thinking about me." How could any jellicle be that vain and self-focused? "Maybe it's only cats who like toms- and that I annoy."

Mistoffelees mouth twitched, and he snickered gently at that. He fit into both categories, and still Tugger wasn't the center of his world. The other tom's brain would crash at the stress of it all. Well, he had woken him up quite unpleasantly. "Right, because _everyone_ who likes toms _has_ to like _the_ Rum Tum Tugger."

"Well, I guess not _everyone_… But, hell, have you seen me?"

"Unfortunately, it's impossible not to see you," he muttered bitterly. "And even if I hadn't- you aren't my type."

Tugger looked surprised for a second. Whether the shock was Misto actually admitting what half the tribe had speculated, or saying that Tugger _wasn't_ someone's type was hard to say. He nodded doubtfully, "I guess that's alright, too."

"That you aren't my type?" the tux clarified, sitting up as he resigned himself to not getting back to sleep for awhile.

Tugger looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out why clarification was necessary, "Yeah, of course that… What else would—" clarification dawned on him, "That ain't what I meant, I don't care." He paused for a moment. "But seriously, no interest at all?"

"None," he muttered, not even caring about the somewhat ambiguous meaning, it was accurate either way.

The other tom stared at him for a moment, before a sly smile crept over his face. He leaned over to Misto and whispered gently in his ear, "Are you _quite_ sure about that?"

With a groan, the small tom just shoved him back, "Yes- I'm _quite_ sure. Look, the big Rumor Mystery's been solved, can I get back to sleep?" He laid back down and curled up, his tail twitching again.

"Yeah, fine, sorry about that," he said, audibly sulking. The older tom went on his way, and Quaxo looked up to watch him go, scoffing at the entire experience. He still couldn't help but wonder how any cat could possibly be so self-absorbed.


	4. Chapter 4

More thanks for the reviews! I'm glad people like this. :D

I still don't own anything.

* * *

It looked like this was going to be a sleepless night, which was fine, really. There were worst things. He didn't mind having a good amount of time to himself, and night was the perfect time for this- everyone else was asleep. The attention was nice, he loved it, but squealing queens didn't leave you much time to think, and it was next to impossible to lose them- especially Etcetera.

To make sure he'd avoid the others, he decided to wander the city streets rather than hanging around the junkyard. It was a bit risky- but he knew where was safe for a cat to go.

He huffed to himself- not sure why that rumor, if it was a rumor, got to him. It was true, he loved the attention, _really_ loved the attention, but he didn't care whom he got it from and he never cared beyond that.

Bombi was foxy, Demeter was gorgeous, even Jemima was cute though a bit young for him, but he never wanted anything physical with them. Same went with the toms- some were handsome, there were some that he wouldn't mind just staring at all day, and there were some he found downright adorable, even Quaxo had his good qualities, but he had no interest in anything but the attention.

The cats who fawned on him didn't care about what chance they had- they wanted a fantasy. There was no way anyone wanted to build a family or a life with the Rum Tum Tugger, you'd have to be insane to want him as your own. But _knowing_ they didn't have a chance would ruin that fantasy.

Besides, the physical stuff would just make things more difficult, and he couldn't help but feel that if everyone thought they could actually get him- they'd stop being so interested. He thrived on that attention, having all eyes on him even if they were disapproving, loved the effect he had on people, and didn't want to lose that.

That was probably why the tux's disinterest bothered him, he reasoned, he just didn't want to think that he was losing his touch. Of course, Quaxo had never shown any signs of interest, so why was it only now that this was a problem?

Tugger twitched his tail, and glared at nothing in particular. Because before now, he could just insist that Quaxo wasn't interested because Quaxo wasn't interested in toms. It was stupid reasoning, even if he logically knew that the black and white kit had liked toms he obviously had before today. It shouldn't matter that _one_ cat didn't like him.

He sniffed, indignant. That wasn't it. It was the way the younger tom didn't like him- he acted like Tugger was scum, and probably thought it, too. That just wasn't fair. Sure, he wasn't the best of cats in the world- but he wasn't a bad guy, either.

"Of course, he isn't a bad looking cat, either…" he muttered to himself, glancing at the stars.

Tugger rarely _really_ thought about toms like that, he didn't think any of them liked other toms and felt that made them 'off-limits' even mentally. If he heard one of the queens didn't swing that way, he'd probably stop thinking about them like that as well. Even though he knew Quaxo wasn't interested in him, somehow knowing that he liked toms made it okay to think about the svelte cat as attractive.

Rum smirked, that was a good word for the small tom. He chuckled to himself, walking under a streetlight and looking back, wondering if it would be a good idea to go back now. It was getting pretty late (early?) and he should probably squeeze in, at the very least, a catnap before the morning.

He ended up deciding against that. A nap in the sun later on seemed like a much better idea than trying to grab a few hours now just because he was supposed to be asleep.

---

It was noon. That was the easiest time of day to recognize, when the shadows were shortest, going by the sun any other time was a bit of guesswork and depended on the time of year. But the exact time of day was something that mattered more to humans than felines, who didn't have schedules and only needed to know when it was almost morning or evening.

Even though it was early autumn, the sun was still warm enough to make this time of day unpleasant- especially for those with a dark enough coat. Misto often muttered to himself about this, although he knew he'd be thankful when it started getting colder it was a real curse in the hotter months.

He lazily sulked around the junkyard, trying to find a decently comfortable shaded place to spend the rest of the day. There was a tree some way along that by all rights should never have grown, but had grown large enough to have a few branches that made a comfortable lounging spot. It was also early enough in the fall that it would have all it's trees, and some of them might have even started changing color, and that was always nice to see.

It wasn't that long a walk to the tree, only about 10 minutes, and it was a fairly nice walk. He shivered at the thought of months to come, although he'd been through it many times in his life, he'd spent enough time away from his family that he wasn't sure he'd be welcomed back, and it could get cold in the wintry months.

His brain drifted to thoughts he'd rather not be having, and he cursed Victoria for putting the idea of romance back into his head. He knew she meant well, but he had been doing fine on his own and now he was starting to daydream about what it would be like to—

"Yeah, this is really helping me not think about that," he muttered, reaching the tree and glancing up, trying to decide which branch to climb to. He noticed someone else had had the same idea. Tugger was lying on one of the lower branches, lazily stretched out and looking like he might fall off any second. He didn't.

That figured. It was really starting to feel like there was some power trying to drag those two together. Misto looked around suspiciously, wondering if Victoria had something to do with this. He shook his head, deciding to accept this rather than let it ruin his plans for slothfully wasting the day. Although, when he thought of it like that, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea for them to be ruined.

Skittering up the tree with all the finesse of a cat, he perched a few branches above the larger cat and glanced down, curious. He had every appearance of being asleep, his paws twitching every now and then as if to bat at something.

The tux briefly wondered if he should get payback for being woken up so rudely the other day. There was no way to do it without being obviously petty, though, he had no excuse other than 'I'm still annoyed that you woke me up for such a stupid reason'. His tail twitched, agitated. That wouldn't be a nice thing to do at all.

"Staring at someone while they're sleeping isn't as flattering as you might like to think." Mistoffelees almost fell off his branch at this, digging his claws in and scrambling to regain his composure. The Rum Tum Tugger chuckled to himself, not opening his eyes.

"I didn't mean to stare," he muttered, lying down on the branch and looking at the leaves instead. Most of them were still a healthy green, but a lovely gold had started creeping in, creating a beautiful effect in the bright sunlight.

Tugger chuckled again at this, now opening his eyes. With the way the tux was laying, all he could see was a white-tipped tail still twitching with annoyance. He carefully stood up and climbed up so that they were on the same level.

"Oh, I know you can't help it," he teased, "I'm just that irresistible- even if you don't want to admit it."

Misto smirked at this, sitting up and shaking his head. "You would like to think that, wouldn't you? You looked like you were about to fall off- I was watching to see when you would."

"Somehow, I don't think_ I_'m the one we have to worry about falling off anything," he raised his eyebrow at the fresh claw marks on the branch. Mistoffelees blushed, glancing down at the ground. "What brings you all the way out here, anyways?"

"It's too warm to be in the sun," he shrugged. "This is just the nicest shady spot I know."

"Ah, yeah, I know what you mean. Especially with this coat," he fluffed his extremely fluffy mane to demonstrate. "It's great for the winter months, but long-haired _and_ black fur? That's just bad design outside Antarctica."

Mistoffelees nodded at this, his lips curling into a smile. "I don't have it as bad as you with that, my coat's pretty thin so I only have a problem in direct sunlight. It's not as warm in the winter, though."

"I could always keep you warm," Tugger winked. The tux blinked at him, cocked his head to the side and smiled slyly.

The tux took the few steps to close the gap between them before leaning in close, their whiskers brushing against each other. "I'm sure you could," he whispered huskily, tracing a single finger along the other tom's chest and flashing him a beguiling smile. Misto's white face seemed to brighten as Tugger's pupils dilated and his brain failed completely to come up with a way to respond to this.

Mistoffelees rolled his eyes, pushing himself back up before climbing down the tree branches nimbly. "Don't try that with me again, okay?" he called after himself. He really didn't have any patience with the Rum Tum Tugger's flirting with other people- having it directed at himself was even more annoying.

It took a few moments before Tugger trusted himself to move, still not quite sure that had actually happened. A shiver ran down his spine and he lay down on the branch, his heart still beating loudly in his chest. "Where the hell did he learn to do _that_?"

---

"Tuggy, are you even paying attention to me?" Etcetera pouted, practically in his lap though somehow managing to maintain enough personal space that he couldn't justify pushing her out. She batted her eyes at him adorably, and the other young queens looked up at him expectantly.

Victoria giggled at her friend's actions. Now that she had Plato she didn't join in the hero-worship of the Rum Tum Tugger, but she still loved the other young queens and wanted to spend time with them. Tugger also had a way of making things entertaining for bystanders, and it was hard to pass up a chance to see that.

"Oh of course I am," he said, skritching the hyper kitten's chin. She swooned into Electra, causing the two to collapse in fits of giggles. Jemima grinned, glancing at Victoria who was sitting a few feet away from the others.

"You do seem far away, Tugger," Jemima said gently, sitting back so she was a bit away and motioning for the white queen to join her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Aww, now you kittens don't have to worry about little ol' me," he said with a grin, reaching over to ruffle her headfur. "You know I can take care of myself."

"That's debateable," the five cats turned to see Quaxo walking over. He nodded a greeting to the three kittens before walking over to Victoria. The two nuzzled in greeting, "Plato wants to see you later tonight, Vicki. He asked me to remind you."

"Oh, thanks," she blushed. Seeing him reminded her of her previous plans- she hadn't seen her friend long enough to talk to him since her conversation with Tugger, and she had no idea how or if things had progressed since then. She couldn't to him about it now, though. "He didn't have to do that- I would've remembered. It wasn't out of the way?"

The tux didn't get a chance to answer this, as Electra suddenly realized who this shy cat actually was. She pounced on him with a gleeful shriek of, "Mistoffelees!" and Etcetera soon joined in. He laughed, their rapid-fire comments blurred together as they continued climbing on him. Jemima gasped at their actions and looked at Tugger, wondering if he'd do something to stop them. Victoria almost fell over laughing at the sight.

"Stop that!" Vicki gasped, hugging Etcetera and pulling her off the tom. Electra followed as well, and they both mumbled apologies.

"Can you show us magic?" Electra cooed, and the two young faces lit back up.

"Oh, please do," Jemima added, glancing eagerly up at him. There was no way the tux would say no, he did enjoy performing and couldn't help but find their excitement endearing, but he still pretended to have to think about it.

"I don't know…" he started, only to start laughing again at Etcetera's crestfallen expression, "I wouldn't usually- but since you asked so nicely I will," he said teasingly, his paws sparking as his coat started changing, "What would you like me to do?"

"Did he just steal my fans?" Tugger asked Victoria, surprised. This drew her attention away from her friend's display.

"He only borrowed them," she smiled, looking back to where Mistoffelees was performing whatever trick the young queens could think of and a few they didn't expect, "He'd never want that much attention as often as you do. Just be glad to get a break from it, you really didn't look interested in entertaining us."

The maine coon folded his arms and scowled at the conjurer, trying not to be impressed. "You're friends with him, right? What's his problem with me?"

Victoria looked at him again, surprised. Her friend did seem to have a certain about of contempt for the ladies' tom, but she never actually thought about why. She frowned, "I guess the same problem others have, he doesn't approve of how much you flirt." He shrugged, nodding at that one, couldn't really argue. A thought crossed her mind, "Does it matter? We all still love you- and he isn't the first cat to dislike you."

Tugger glanced at her and shrugged again. It didn't matter, he was the Rum Tum Tugger and he didn't care what anyone thought. And his desire for Quaxo to like him was purely an act of ego. He was an awesome guy and there was no reason for that tom not to like him. He chuckled, "It really doesn't matter, you're right. It's just weird having someone dislike you when you don't know why they don't."

Victoria nodded doubtfully, "You sure that's all?" she asked innocently, "I've never seen you care before. Demeter _hates_ you, and she's your brother's mate, and that doesn't even phase you."

"Well sure, but that's because she's practically my sister," he explained vaguely, "It'd be weirder if she _did_ like me. The older queens are supposed to frown on me being a bad influence, but most of the toms his age look up to me."

"If you insist."

"What do you mean by that?"

The white queen traced circles in the dirt with one of her back paws and glanced up at him shyly. "Well- you actually care that he doesn't like you, enough that it's visibly bothering you. You also let him steal the spotlight from you- and at the ball you actually handed it to him. That's just not like you."

"It isn't, is it?" he muttered, frowning. He shook his head and flashed a winning smile at her. "Guess I just have to work a bit harder at being like me, then," he said brightly before swaggering over to the three young queens. Victoria watched after him. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.

* * *

*** Wikipedia says that Tug's a Maine Coon, which I think I've mentioned about 20 times already, which are a long haired cat. Except that he's the least-furry cat in the entire cast except for his mane, so I have no freaking clue what kind of fur Tugger has. I'm going with long-hair anyways, unless he's actually a jellicle lion.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thank you again for the comments and favs and such. I don't know the proper etiquette here: should I reply to them or just keep thanking you in the Author's Notes?

I still don't own anything. I'm not even convinced I own this fic.

* * *

Thunder rumbled as the first drops of rain fell on the 6 cats. Tugger had managed to mix himself in with the conjuring cat's performance, much to the delight of the young queens, although the young tux was still very much the center of attention. At the sign of rain, Victoria kissed her friend's cheek appreciatively and left to find Plato while it was still dry enough. The other three queens let out a shriek of delighted horror and ran off to shelter as well, playfully nudging and teasing each other. They'd probably end up getting distracted and coming home soaking wet, much to the disapproval of the older queens.

The two toms lingered for a moment, Tugger glancing up to verify it was raining. A drop hit his nose and he sneezed unpleasantly- yup, definitely raining. He turned to make sure Misto had somewhere dry to go before heading off, but stopped before he could ask.

The black and white cat was sitting on the ground, chest heaving as he panted for breath. This must be what running a marathon felt like, he had definitely over done it. Magic took a bit out of him, but the added theatrics he couldn't help but throw in had made it too much for him. Under any other circumstances the young tom would hate the rain as much as any jellicle, but right now it was welcome.

"You alright?" Tugger asked, walking over to the young tom uncertainly. He'd never seen the young tom in such a bad state, but he'd also never seen him happier than he was right then.

Misto nodded, only managing to get out a chuckle between pants, "Too much," he gasped out, not really able to elaborate. The rain started coming down harder, and the maine coon winced and huddled into himself but stayed where he was.

"Go on," Mistoffelees insisted, waving a hand, "I'll be fine." He stared up at the sky, still smiling brightly. He really did love performing, although this was a reminder of why he couldn't do it too often. His breathing was still heavier than usual but the rain cooled him off quickly and he stuck his tongue out to lap up some of the drops.

Tugger was clearly uncomfortable but shook his head, "A little rain never hurt anyone- I'd rather make sure you were alright. Munk'd have my hide if I left you and something happened." Misto shrugged at that before falling back. Tugger almost lunged at the small tom, not realizing the action was on purpose, and leaned over him to make sure he was all right.

"Tugger- really, I'm fine, I just overdid it a bit," he said gently, noticing how comfortable the two now where. He could feel the older tom's breath on his cheek and was surprised by the look of concern. Misto gulped, glad to have an excuse for why his heart was racing.

"Right. Sorry," he mumbled, sitting up awkwardly. "I guess magic takes a lot out of you?"

Misto nodded, propping himself up on his elbows, "A bit. It's not that bad, but I probably should've stopped an hour or two ago." Tugger nodded, this was about as far as his small-talk abilities could get him.

He looked at the younger kit thoughtfully for a moment, then glanced around to make sure they were alone. The rain was now steady enough that he was starting to get soaked through his thick coat, no one else would be out right now. Finally he asked, "Why don't you like me?"

The tux looked at him for a moment, confused, before shrugging, "Just don't, not everyone has to. Guess watching you flirt and swagger lost its appeal and I don't see why everyone else still loves you."

There was a bit more to it than that, he was also jealous of Tug's charisma. He didn't want the same kind of attention and definitely wouldn't want to be hounded quite so much, but Quaxo couldn't help but be a bit annoyed that he had to rely on parlor tricks while Tugger attracted attention just by being in a room. Of course, he'd never say that out loud, much less tell Tugger.

The tom shrugged at that, his wet mane clinging to him as he tried not to think about how he looked. Misto had short enough fur that getting it wet wasn't htat big a deal, but Tugger was sure he now looked like a drowned rat. He couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with him that he was sitting in the rain for a cat who seemed to think of his presence as a nuisance. "Fair enough."

Mistoffelees looked over at Tugger, unable to hide a smile at the cat's pathetic appearance. His fur only got spiky when wet, but Tugger looked so small and frail compared to his usual size. It was adorable, and fairly unusual for the tom to forsake his appearance just for someone else's sake. At least, the tux always assumed it was, but now he was starting to wonder just how little he knew about the Rum Tum Tugger.

The tom quietly made an attempt to sit up, and decided that his muscles were very much opposed to this motion. A pang of guilt hit him as he realized that the other tom would probably end up staying through the entire storm just because he wanted to show off. He was glad that Tugger hadn't noticed his attempts to get up, this way he could still play off that he was perfectly fine and sitting there by choice.

"You really should go somewhere dry," he said again. "You just look miserable out here."

Tugger looked at him for a moment, "I'm already so wet it doesn't matter, but I'll leave if you want me to."

The tux gulped as the realization that he _didn't_ want Tugger to leave washed over him. He shook himself. He knew the older tom's reputation, any feelings Misto had would just lead to him getting hurt and possibly ridiculed. Tugger flirted with everyone, no one got any special attention. Bombalurina was the only cat who ever had a chance with the Rum Tum Tugger and he still dropped her like yesterday's trash in front of everyone.

"No, no, don't worry about me," he insisted with a smile, "I really don't mind having you around but I'm not particularly attached, either."

Tugger's ear twitched and he frowned. He caught the hesitation, and thought he could see something behind the other cat's blue eyes. Shaking his head, he muttered his acceptance and something about "If you're sure about that" before scampering off.

Quaxo watched after him with a sigh. The rain stopped a few minutes later, apparently it was only a brief shower, and he stretched out in the sun to try and help the drying process. In a few hours it would be night, and then he'd not only be on his own for drying, but wet in the cold. He shivered. If only Tugger's offer to keep him warm was sincere, he would have liked to take him up on it if only for tonight.

Tugger paused as the rain stopped, looking at the sky to make sure this wasn't just a momentary pause before it started coming down harder. The clouds were dissipating, so it looked good.

He stopped to assess the damage. Long hair was a real curse when it got wet. It weighed a ton, clung to his skin to make sure he couldn't get comfortable, and took a day in the sun to dry. With a growl he considered his options. He could go back to his human family, but they wouldn't appreciate a sopping wet cat so he'd get banished to the laundry room after getting smothered in towels by well meaning humans. At least he'd be warm, though.

The tom paused to look guiltily back the way he came, wondering if he should take the risk and offer to bring Quaxo with him. It may still be early autumn, but it was starting to get cold at night. He shook his head, the tux had made it clear he didn't want Tugger's help and he wasn't exactly keen on having his kind actions so painfully twisted.

A low growl came from the tom's chest as he headed towards his family's house. This had to end.

---

A few days later and the young tux still felt like some of his fur was a bit wet.

He ended up avoiding everyone even more fervently since, feeling extremely embarrassed that he'd gotten so exhausted just from a few simple tricks. Admittedly, it was a few hours' worth of "simple" tricks that were accompanied with some impressive acrobatics, but he was still a bit sore. The tux also hoped that it would give him some time to get over whatever it was he was feeling for Tugger.

He had gotten quite good at wandering where he didn't expect others to be, and appreciated the solitude it brought. After many times of doing this uneventfully, he regretted to admit he was starting to let his guard down. While he did keep a wary nose out for signs of pollicles or other trouble, he also allowed himself to become a bit too lost in thought.

This was probably the last time in awhile he'd allow himself that luxury, though, as a larger cat pounced on him, knocking him on his back before placing two paws firmly on his chest. The claws were retracted, though, so the small tom took a moment before lashing out.

"What in Heaviside-- Tugger!" he gasped for air, the breath knocked out of him. The tuxedoed cat moved to get out from under the larger cat, but the paws stayed still. Uncertain blue eyes glanced up at the Rum Tum Tugger's face. The larger cat looked angry, almost predatory. A shiver ran down Quaxo's spine but he tried not to let it get to him. He tried to keep his voice calm, but what came out was a shameful squeak of, "What are you doing?"

"I was looking for you- and I don't want you running off," he said, his tone unreadable. Quaxo didn't point out that, as a conjuring cat, he could still magic himself away. He instead nodded, agreeing to stay there, but the paws didn't budge.

"That's a bit uncomfortable," he said with an uncertain smile. The situation was foreign to him and he couldn't help but wonder what wrong mistake had led to it. Letting Victoria get involved with his love life was probably high on the list.

The older cat nuzzled him apologetically; the paws remained though he put less pressure on them. Tugger sighed, "I don't want to play any more games with you, Misto. I do like you- and I'm guessing you won't believe that, but I want to make it clear I'm seriously. I'll give you a week to think about it, alright?"

Mistoffelees stared at him in disbelief, causing Tugger to falter when he was about to get off the smaller cat. The tux studied his face for a moment, "Are you serious about that?"

"Of course I'm serious, why would I say it if I wasn't?" the Rum Tum Tugger got off the smaller cat now, allowing him to roll over and stand up. Quaxo took a moment to smooth his fur.

"You play games with cats, especially their hearts, Tugger," he chuckled to himself as the Maine Coon puffed out his main in protest, "And I'm not sure if you even know that you're doing it, or if it's all just fun for you. But you have to've seen the looks the queens give you and you only seem to use them for your own fun," Quaxo straightened up again and looked Tugger squarely in the face, "And you are a cat who only wants what he can't have. So before you say anything about who you like or what you want: ask yourself if you'd still want it, even if you could have it."

The two toms stared at each other in silence, neither one knowing what to say and both hoping the other would say something. Finally Tugger nodded, "Yeah, I guess that's fair. Not sure how you want me to convince you I am serious, though."

Quaxo almost replied with 'surprise me' but thought better of it. This display had been all the surprise from the Tugger he could handle for awhile. His ear twitched for a moment, "Just think about it. You gave me a week- so I'll give you one as well."

The Maine Coon nodded at that before stalking off to find somewhere private to tend to his wounded pride. He had hoped the conversation would go considerably better than that, and didn't look forward to introspection.

The tuxedo sighed to himself, his tail twitching uncertainly. Tugger's paws would probably leave bruises, which would thankfully be hidden by his fur, as this wasn't something he cared to tell anyone about. Quaxo had already known he was not a fighter. He was one of the smallest toms, smaller than even a few queens, and had never needed to be in a fight in his life. But it still unnerved him how easily he'd been overpowered, and didn't want to think about what could've happened if the other cat's intentions had been a bit less gentle.

Shivering again, the conjuring cat made his way closer to the jellicles, now intent to practice his magic more often. His triumph at the ball had made him cocky, but in the junkyard that wasn't an acceptable attitude to have. Confidence may be important, but too much of it and you get sloppy, weak. Since no one knew quite what happened to Macavity, but agreed that if he was still alive he'd want revenge for the Magical Mister Mistoffelees' trick, Quaxo needed to be careful.

Mistoffelees made his way to his favorite practice spot- far enough away that he was unlikely to be spied on, close enough that he could easily get help if needed. While he knew he would be unlikely to overpower anyone with brute force- he wanted to make sure he'd always have a trick or three up his sleeve.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This one's a bit short, sorry. I'll upload the next one soon. As always, thanks so much for the support, dear readers, and I own absolutely nothing.

* * *

The Rum Tum Tugger sat, brooding, on a broken old car in the junkyard. His coat was in pristine condition, perfectly imperfect, but his expression was far more serious than any anyone had seen on him before.

This young tom annoyed him- all at once making him want to forget about the magician and never leave his side. After being half-rejected, the curious cat was only more convinced that he _would_ have Quaxo for his own. But it was impossible to tell if this was because he wanted Quaxo… or because he saw a challenge and wanted to prove himself, only to drop the tom the second he had him. Is that what he'd been doing to cats his entire life?

Tugger was not enjoying these thoughts. He'd hoped to spend a week with mild apprehension about the answer he was about to receive, while otherwise continuing to be his carefree self and enjoy the attention that was always showered upon him. But now, thanks to the magician's comments, the attention was hollow.

Rather than seeing the looks of devotion and feeling a sense of pride because he was that good, he felt a sense of dread that he'd been leading them on. A bit of him always knew that he'd been leaving a trail of broken hearts, but he hadn't actually acknowledged just how much harm he was doing.

Tugger didn't have that much respect for matters of the heart, never being one to dabble in them. But if the headache he was feeling was anything near getting your heart broken, he couldn't help feel guilty about it. For all the scorn the older cats gave him, he hadn't actually intended to do any harm; he did think it was all in fun. Just providing entertainment, it never seemed like a bad thing before now.

"Blast that cat… What kind of mind games is he playing with me?" he snarled, tilting his head back and glaring fixedly at the sky. It seemed he had two choices- continue letting the thoughts plague him, or asking someone advice. Tugger rolled onto his stomach, wondering how long it would take before he went completely mad, and if that was preferable to opening himself up to the full scorn of some of the other cats for the choices he'd made in his life.

The Rum Tum Tugger shook his head, cursing himself. Was he a cat or was he a mouse? Sitting there, too scared to face himself or the others, he couldn't help feeling that he didn't deserve either title. No, he was _the_ Rum Tum Tugger, the cat who did what he pleased as he pleased with no regard for how others saw him. And right now he pleased to get an objective opinion.

Standing up and hopping down from the car, he fluffed out his main and straightened up, summoning all the confidence he had as he ran through the options of who's counsel to seek.

The maine coon did want to run from this, pretend it had never happened and try to drown out the doubts with adoring squeals from the queens. He wanted to take the coward's way out, but knew that wasn't an option any more. There were a few morals in his heart, for all the debauchery, and if he'd broken them accidentally- he'd rather make sure he wouldn't do so again.

"Well then, I certainly hope Munk isn't too busy for his little brother today," he muttered to himself, a smirk on his face. Regardless what it lead to, he felt pretty damn good about his decision. The raging thoughts in his mind cleared and were replaced with a strange sense of pride. He wondered briefly if this was what drove people like Munkustrap to do things for others all the time.

---

It was a bright day, the sun was warm but the breezes were cool and brought the scent of autumn wafting over the junkyard. Days like these were rare, and most savored them. Munkustrap wasn't surprised at all to see the kittens playing a bit farther than they usually did, and wasn't overly concerned that they were. He made his usual rounds, making sure that everyone was safe and there wasn't any trouble stirring. And, of course, taking the opportunity for a nice walk on such a lovely day.

Turning the corner he saw something that would make his enjoyable walk a fair bit less enjoyable, his brother leaning against an old stove and looking as though he was waiting for someone. Munkustrap sighed to himself, he didn't know what to do with that cat. Rum's words from the ball rang in his ears '_and there's no doing anything about it_' was right.

He nodded a polite "Hello" to the tom cat as he passed him, with every intent to continue on. Tugger shuffled uncomfortably, causing Munkus to stop, surprised.

"Hey, Munk," he said, pushing himself off the stove he was leaning on, "You got a minute?"

"For what?" the protector of the jellicles asked uncertainly. The tabby's ear twitched uncomfortably as he turned his entire body to face his brother.

"Got something I want to ask you… Somethin' I'm not really to keen on asking but I suppose has to be asked," Tugger cursed himself inwardly, what happened to the confidence? He took a deep breath, "I know you aren't all that happy with the way I live my life- but do you think I'm doing anything seriously wrong?"

There was a moment's pause as the tabby looked him up and down, trying to decide if this was a serious question or not. "Well, you could certainly do better to take things a bit more seriously, but I suppose you haven't killed anyone," he said carefully.

Tugger's face soured at this, and he shook his head. "No. Do you think I've hurt any of the queens? Led 'em on or anything like that?"

"No, passionate kisses and suggestive hip wiggles," he accompanied this with a parody of the Rum Tum Tugger's signature move, "really say 'I just want to be friends'. What brought this on?"

Tugger scratched his cheek uncertainly, mulling his brother's words over in his head and ignoring the tease, "Something Quaxo said. You really think I'm leading them on?"

Another pause, this was one event that he had not foreseen. Munkustrap stared at his brother for a moment, it was all he could do not to let his jaw drop. Somehow the little conjurer had gotten into Tugger's head enough to make him actually stop to think about his actions? Realizing just how serious this situation was, Munkus stopped joking around.

"It's pretty damn obvious that you're not looking for anything other than a bit of fun- nothing serious," the tabby replied, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to condemn his brother unfairly, but he certainly didn't want to sound encouraging. Munkustrap shook his head, "I've gotta say, though, Rum- lifestyles like yours are what's made the term 'lifestyle' a pejorative."

The Tugger was torn between scoffing at the suggestion and puffing his mane out with pride. He compromised with an amused chuckle. "You think I've broken some hearts?"

"Undoubtedly, more than a few queens have fallen hard for you," the tabby nodded. As the jellicle's protector and Tugger's brother, Munkustrap was often the one that the queens went to when they had fallen a bit too hard for the Tugger and gotten hurt, much to Demeter's annoyance. She didn't mind him comforting them and often helped, but she resented Tugger for being the cause.

The other tom's face was unreadable for a few moments. Munkustrap considered adding something about it, but he really didn't know what else to say. Perhaps the tabby was thinking too highly of himself to imagine Rum cared about his opinions, but he still felt as though this was a very delicate situation. Letting his own feelings color his advice would be unfair, but painting the Tugger as a saint would be a lie.

"Yeah… that's what I figured," he said with a slow nod. That wasn't entirely the Rum Tum Tugger's fault, it was true he never suggested that they'd be getting anything more from him, but he hardly made it easy for anyone to get over him. "I should probably lay off that a little bit."

"Everlasting Cat knows I'd appreciate it, Tugs," Munkustrap said with a warm smile, clapping a hand on the maine coon's shoulder, "But I wouldn't begrudge you if you didn't. For every queen you've left with heartache, there's another 2 who'd be furious if they lost _the_ Rum Tum Tugger."

"There is, isn't there?" he asked, his cocky demeanor returning as though it had never left.

Quaxo's mindgames were annoying as anything, but a bit of him was grateful to have been pushed into facing this. Tugger smiled to himself, picturing Mistoffelees as the puppet master pulling everyone's strings. Somehow, it was an image he was alright with.

With a respectful bow and playful wink he smiled at his brother, "I should get in the habit of talking to you more often."

Munkustrap smirked, this entire situation was far too good to be true. At some point he'd wake up in Demeter's arms, sleepily tell her about this insane dream. She'd chuckle and shake her head at the absurdity, kiss him gently then return to an easy sleep as he continued chuckling about it to himself. But the tabby knew he wasn't asleep, as crazy as it seemed this was no dream.

"I think Quaxo's the one you need to be talking to," he suggested, still wondering what on earth the young tom had said, "it seems like that tom's finally done what almost every cat in the tribe has spent years trying to do."

The Tugger chuckled at that, looking off into the distance for a moment and then grinned at his brother uncertainly. "You know something, I just might do that."

* * *

*** I realize that 'lifestyle' isn't inherently negative, but people often dismiss things as an "alternative lifestyle" and use it in an insulting manner. I actually can't remember when the last time I heard it used positively was… : /

That's what Munk's referring to, anyways, sorry if that was confusing.


	7. Chapter 7

Dawn painted a glorious picture across the sky, the gentle hues softening even the harshest parts of the junkyard. The sparkle of dew only added to the magical feel that time of day always held. Many of the jellicles were still asleep, a few of the kittens had snuck out for a bit of playtime, while Mistoffelees had been awake for over an hour.

The tom preferred waking long before the others. A "morning person" the humans called it, and he supposed it was accurate. In the wee hours of the morning, when the light was just starting to grow but the day had yet to start, was always the best time to get solitary work done. Misto preferred it for practicing his magic as well, which he had decided to start doing daily.

He had finished that for today, though, and was now wandering aimlessly. Enough cats were awake that he didn't have much need to be overly cautious, and he had gotten himself into a situation that required a bit of thought.

Reflecting on it, he wasn't sure what had happened. It was true that the cat was able to get himself into more trouble than even his magic could get him out of, but this was a bit much. What happened to humoring Victoria by pretending to entertain the idea, or his vehement insistence that the Rum Tum Tugger wasn't even worth the thought?

A familiar scent caught the young tom's attention. The hairs on the back of his neck went up, and he glanced about, realizing he was being watched by the maine coon. The larger cat was watching curiously, but when he realized that Quaxo had noticed him- he slowly made his way down the pile of rubbish he was perched on. His chest still aching from last time, Misto decided to give him a decent berth, keeping just out of range of pouncing. A curious expression crossed over the Tugger's face as he noticed this, but he respectfully accepted the distance.

"You were wrong," he said simply, raising an eyebrow and waiting for the younger cat to reply.

"About what?"

"I don't play with anyone's heart."

Blue eyes widened, brow furrowing at this revelation. Had he misinterpreted the tom's actions so badly? He nodded gently, finally giving a slight bow of his head, "I apologize for that, then. You do seem the type."

"Thanks…" he didn't even bother making it sound sincere, they both knew it wasn't. This distance thing was starting to annoy him, though he supposed he deserved the physical distance. It was no secret that the small tom didn't play rough. Still, there had to be some way to melt this cat's cold exterior.

"And also," he smiled mischievously at the cat, taking a single step towards him. Misto didn't back away, but cocked his head to the side. Tugger continued with a teasing, "I'm _anything_ but a bore."

The tuxedo stared for a second, realization dawning on him. He chuckled appreciatively, deciding to walk a few paces towards the other tom. That certainly was not a word he would ever again use to describe the Rum Tum Tugger. "Well, that was before I knew you could play bagpipes."

"Ha! I told Munk someone appreciated that," he bragged, his cocky nature returning as he grew more comfortable with the situation.

"Tugger," the tom said solemly, "no one has _ever_ appreciated bagpipes."

The coon howled in mock hurt, clutching his paws to his chest and stumbling backwards. "Really, Quaxo, haven't you got a nice thing to say about me?" he pouted, unable to keep the corners of his lips from turning up.

"Well, let me see," an impish grin was on his white face as he pretended to give this serious thought, "I'm sure there must be something…" There was a pang of guilt when he realized that he'd spent so much time talking down Tugger, maybe unfairly, that he had a hard time coming up with anything good to say about him. He threw the older cat a wink and added, "That you don't already know, of course."

"That is a challenge… I do know just how many of my qualities are good," Tugger agreed, refusing to show that the tom's constant criticism was starting to sting. He jumped onto a nearby box and got comfortable, motioning for the tuxedo to join him.

"Thank you," the small tom said quietly, receiving a confused look that Tugger quickly tried to cover up, "For your support at the ball. I meant to thank you for it." Without another word, he leapt onto the box and settled down before glancing at the sky. Both toms suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.

Self-conscious was not an emotion the Rum Tum Tugger took kindly to, so he decided to break the silence with a bitter laugh, looking over at the conjuring cat. "How did we get into this mess, Misto?"

"Victoria," he replied with a chuckle, "she's determined to find me a mate whether I want one or not. It's a sweet idea, and I suppose it's better that you get caught up in it than someone else. You're secure enough to take it in stride."

Mistoffelees glanced up at Tugger, surprised to see a thoughtful expression on the older tom's face. His ear twitched, and he couldn't help wonder how much he'd misjudged the cat.

"Well, do you want one?" the maine coon said after another moment.

"What?"

"A mate. Do you even want one? Seems pretty pointless for anyone to waste the energy if you don't even want one."

"I don't know," he said truthfully, biting his lip. He wasn't entirely comfortable around Tugger, and didn't know how willing he was to spill his guts to the cat. "I don't even know how everyone would react if I had one."

"That's a concern for you?" The large tom gave him an incredulous look.

"I've never heard of a cat like me," he explained sheepishly, curling into himself a bit more, "I've only heard of it in humans, and they certainly don't react well. I don't think I'd be hurt or exiled, but I also don't want everyone to look at me differently for something that shouldn't even matter."

"You don't do that by hiding it like it's some dark secret. If you don't think it matters- then prove it doesn't by not caring who knows," it almost sounded like he was scolding the younger tom, "Don't care about what anybody else thinks- this ain't about them. I'm asking what _you_ want."

Getting advice from the Rum Tum Tugger, and _good_ advice, this day was certainly taking an odd turn. Mistoffelee's tail twitched irritably as he returned to gnawing on his lip.

"I don't know what I want," he said right before Tugger made up his mind to apologize for scolding him. "I like some aspects of having a mate, but I don't know if I'd like all of it. I wouldn't mind having someone to be that close to, but I still love my solitude and would feel guilty about disappearing as often as I do."

"Eh, tell me about it. I've thought about 'settling down' a few times- but I couldn't. I love to flirt too much, I thrive on that attention, I don't think I could stop that and be happy no matter who I was with," the maine coon lounged back a bit, glancing lazily over at the smaller tom.

"Why would you have to stop?"

"What self-respecting cat would want to be with a tom who shows that kind of affection to everyone?" another incredulous look, but Misto just shook his head.

"How far do you ever actually go?"

"A few kisses every now and then, maybe. Never really cared to go farther than that," he replied with a shrug, not really seeing what that had to do with anything.

"I don't really care about that, then. You aren't doing anything unfaithful- you're just having fun," he sighed, "I suppose I'm more different about these things than I thought."

Tugger sat up at this, and leaned towards the other cat. Misto noticed this and resisted curling up tighter, not wanting to appear too uncomfortable with the tom's presence. After studying him for a moment, he finally asked, "You really wouldn't care about that?"

"I don't care _for_ it whether we're mates or not," he said, sitting up and leaning back slightly, not liking how close they were, "But I wouldn't care if my mate did that, so long as they didn't do anything else."

"Huh." The older tom didn't expand on that sentiment, but just leaned back and watched the clouds thoughtfully. "Wouldn't you get jealous?"

"Of what? I'm not that kind of tom, I don't like that attention and wouldn't give the same devotion your fanqueens do," he struggled to keep the contempt out of his voice, and ended up mumbling something along the lines of 'no offense' after it. The Tugger waved it away, he'd heard worse.

"I always associated mates with possessiveness, 'claiming your territory' and making sure everyone knew to back off of it. Didn't think you could be one without being jealous to the point of fury," he cocked his head so that the smaller tom was fully in his view, "What do you think it is?"

"Love, I guess. Wanting them to be happy. Being there for them and having someone who'll be there for you. Never having to be lonely even if you're alone," he said softly, his voice almost a whisper. It felt silly. His answer was childish and idealistic next to Tugger's cynical remarks. He was still a very young tom, and was starting to feel very much like he was really still a kitten.

"I like yours better than mine," at this point Tugger was fully laying back with his eyes closed, and had every appearance of settling in for a nap. "By the way- are you done playing mind games?"

"What? I wasn't—" Tugger opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at him. The tux shrunk back, "Okay, so I guess I have been. I'll try not to."

The coon closed his eyes again, "You know, this is the question I should've asked you in the first place- do you even like me?"

"I don't want to like you."

Tugger chuckled, "You have one hell of a gift, kit. You're the only cat I know who can make every compliment sound like an insult." The tux murmured an apology at this, he really was trying not to be so critical of the tom. "Why don't you want to?"

"We both know if I liked you from the start you wouldn't be paying this much attention to you. It's hard to believe you don't just like me for the challenge I present."

"Alright, I can understand that. But maybe because you were a challenge it let me get a chance to get to know you- and that's why I like you," Tugger countered, his eyes still closed.

Mistoffelees sighed, this was exactly what he was talking about. It wasn't even possible to tell if the other cat was taking this seriously- could anyone really blame him for being cautious? "Do you think that's the case- or are you just trying to convince me it is?"

"I think I'm trying to convince myself it is," he said with a shrug, propping himself up on an elbow and turning to look at the other cat. "If we both actually like each other it could go pretty well. But I've got to figure out what the hell I actually want and you've got to stop feeling like I'm trying to trap you."

"Pinning me really didn't help that, by the way," the tux muttered, rubbing the still sore spots on his chest. Tugger winced, and nodded grimly. "Why did you do that?"

The larger tom bit his lip. The reason was that this whole situation was driving him insane, and he ended up resorting to brute force like an idiot. That might have worked with a tom who was closer to his size, but most of the queens were larger than Quaxo. He had regretted it immediately but that didn't exactly undo it.

He shook his head, "I can't really explain that, maybe a more articulate cat could. Then, a more articulate cat probably wouldn't have. Either way- any reason I could give would just be a lame excuse. The fact is that I shouldn'tve done it, whyever I did." He wanted to say more, but he didn't think it would help.

Misto nodded uncertainly. It wasn't the greatest answer but he supposed there wasn't a good reason anyways. At least it was clear Tugger regretted it, that made him feel a bit better. "Alright. I guess we can just call it an accident then."

"Thanks," he replied gently. The tux was surprised to see a desperate sincerity in the golden eyes.

He twitched his ears and glanced around uncertainly, trying to think about what he wanted to do next. Gingerly Misto stood up and lay on his stomach next to Tugger, keeping a few inches between the two toms. A knot tied itself in Misto's chest, but he took a deep breath to calm himself. He looked uncertainly at the other tom's surprised face.

"You alright?" Tugger asked, leaning away slightly. A few minutes ago the tom wouldn't get within 10 feet of him, now they were close enough that he could count Misto's whiskers. He didn't have any interest in doing that, but he could have.

"I think," the tux started uncertainly, not sure what he wanted to say. Licking his lips, he continued, "I know that I judged you unfairly before. I don't want to do that again. And I think… I think I'd like to get to know you better, and find out if I've misjudged you on anything else."

A smile formed on the other cat's lips, as he reached a paw over and ruffled Misto's head fur. This won him a gentle purr that the younger tom quickly stifled. "That sounds fair enough. I could stand to know a bit more about the Magical Mister Mistoffelees as well."

* * *

***There might be a pause after this, I'm not entirely sure exactly where to go next. Well, to be more accurate, I know where I want to go but I don't know how to get there. Apologies if that does happen.

As usually, thank you so much for your support. :)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N- Apologies for the delay. This one gave me a bit of trouble. I'm hoping that won't happen with the next chapter, I'm hoping it won't. Thank you for your patience and I hope it was worth the wait! Also, thank Qoy for me finally updating, it was while replying to a message from them that it finally clicked.

* * *

A gold and black queen made early morning rounds. The proper job of checking that everything was well fell to the toms, particularly Munkustrap and Alonzo, but Demeter still made unofficial rounds of her own most mornings. She especially focused on the kittens and younger cats, even though she knew there were plenty of cats watching over them, making sure all was fine set her mind at ease.

She sighed, noticing a black lump curled up on the abandoned rocking chair. By now she'd checked on most people she usually checked on, and knew there was no harm in cutting it short. Careful not to upset the balance of the stack, she climbed up and perched on one of the arms, looking over him critically.

The small cat stirred, sensing the queen's presence. He looked up, not particularly concerned to find someone watching him since it was Demeter. "Hullo," he said sleepily, sitting up, "How are you today?"

The cat ignored the pleasantries, "You still haven't found a den yet, have you?

Quaxo paused for a moment, continuing to rub the sleep out of his eyes and stretching slightly as his brain tried to remember what words were used for. He glanced at the golden queen guiltily, "Er… no," he had a good idea what this was about, it was a problem that had been on his mind, "I used to stay with Victoria a lot- but since she's getting serious with Plato I know to give them their space. And I did use to have a family, but I've been gone for so long I doubt I'd be welcome back."

Demeter shook her head with a sigh. "You _need_ to find a den or a family soon. In the winter it'll be too cold for you to stay outside. You don't want to freeze to death," she scolded.

He shrunk back nervously,getting scolded by an older queen would always make him feel like a small kitten. "I… know… I just haven't found anywhere I liked, I'm not very good at finding a home, or even a temporary residence," he mumbled awkwardly, "Some days even freezing under the stars seems better than being comfortable indoors."

Demeter sighed, cimbing down on to the seat and ruffling the cat's headfur. "I know. We're cats, it's in our nature to be outside- but this climate _isn't_ in your nature. If you really need to you can stay with Munkus and myself, or even with Jelly or Jenny and the kittens," she told him, and he nodded silently. She sighed again, shaking her head, when an idea hit her. "You could stay with Tugger, he lives alone if you're worried about being around too many cats or people."

Quaxo froze, trying to keep a look of fear and horror off his face. He shook himself before managing to weakly ask, "Why would you suggest that?" Demeter raised an eyebrow, confused by the strong reaction.

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression you two got along," she said uncertainly.

"Why?" Quaxo asked, cursing himself for reacting like that. Not only was it painfully incriminating, but it wasn't fair that every time Tugger came up his reaction was _that_ negative. Aside from the pinning, which Tugger had already apologized for, the Maine Coon hadn't actually done _anything_ to him to deserve this. He sighed, "I just don't really trust him. Especially not enough to share a den with just him."

The queen shook her head. "Quaxo- you know I don't like my brother-in-law, right?" he nodded, that was hardly a secret. Demeter was pretty openly against Tugger's life choices. "Then you'll believe that this isn't just me thinking he can do no wrong when I say this: For all his faults… his many, many faults," she muttered before realizing she had gotten off track, "I know he'd never do anything to hurt a jellicle."

"Thanks," the tux nodded, not feeling entirely comforted.

"Do you mind if I ask why you have such a problem with him?" she asked softly.

Quaxo shuffled uncomfortably, this wasn't his preferred conversation topic at all. Truthfully, he didn't know what problem he had with Tugger. There was just something about the cat that rubbed him the long way.

"I don't know, he just bothers me," he mumbled before elaborating, "The way he delights in leading the queens on, the fact he actually calls himself _the_ Rum Tum Tugger- who does that?- and the way he enjoys doing the exact opposite of what he's supposed to do. If it were just a permanent discontent, maybe I could understand it, but it seems like he gets off on making life difficult."

The gold queen chuckled, more or less the same list of grievances she had with Tugger. She couldn't fault him for any of them, but it also caused her to wonder if she came off as just as harsh and unforgiving as Quaxo had. Most likely. They could both do to be a bit more patient with the curious cat.

"He isn't that bad of a tom, he's just difficult if you don't have patience for him," she said wistfully, "I think we've both been a bit hard on him."

Quaxo nodded, pleased to talk to someone who agreed with him. Most cats his age adored the Tugger, and suffering their hero worship only made him less tolerable. Hearing someone who wasn't part of his fanclub say something nice about the curious cat really did help.

"We have," the tux agreed, before quickly correcting himself, "I mean, _I_ have, it sounds like you're pretty fair to him."

Demeter grinned wickedly, a disturbing look on her face. "A sailor would blush if he heard all the things I've said about Tugger in the past- and that's even while watching my tongue for Munk's sake. I have no love for that tom, but he's not worth lying over so I'll give him credit where it's due."

Quaxo wondered what Tugger had done to deserve their anger, and didn't have an answer. Demeter's expression softened again and she smiled apologetically at the young tom. "I did mean what I said, he isn't a bad cat. It may be annoying that he even flirts with the youngest queens- but he keeps boundaries and is actually better than some of the other toms."

"You'd never know it from the way he acts," the tux murmured. He couldn't get his head around why anyone would want to perpetuate that kind of reputation- yet it seemed that Tugger may have gone to pains to make sure everyone thought the worst of him.

Demeter shook her head, "You wouldn't. But don't get it into your head that he's a saint-"

"Why does he do it, though?" he asked, cutting her off. When he realized he had, he quickly apologized before continuing with his thoughts, "He doesn't seem to have any interest in going beyond flirting, but he acts like a slut. Why does he do that? What does he gain?"

"I never really thought about it," Demeter admitted sheepishly. It was hard to think that the cat had any foresight or knew how to do anything non-spontaneous, and she took it for granted that this led to seeming like a creep. She arched her back, stretching, for a moment. "I really don't think it's intentional- he does what he feels he should do and it just leads to that. You can't ignore the rules and come out looking good."

Quaxo nodded, unconvinced. He smiled at Demeter, "Thank you, though, I may ask about staying in his den if it gets too cold this winter." It didn't seem like that bad an idea now, and might not even have any of the implications he was initially concerned about.

"Munk will be glad to hear it," she said, feeling proud of herself, "We have no idea what you said to Tugger to get him thinking about his life, but it's impressive." The tux blushed at this, he had no idea Tugger had taken anything he'd said that seriously. "I'm sure Munk wouldn't feel the need to keep such close tabs on his brother if you were living with him."

"Well, it isn't definite, and it'd only be if I really needed to," he mumbled awkwardly, feeling as if Munkustrap expected him to start spying on Tugger or preaching at him constantly. That wasn't something he'd be interested in no matter how he felt about Tugger. If he did decide to pretend Tugger's offer to keep him warm was sincere, it'd just be for the practical purposes of avoiding frostbite. Besides, it wasn't his job to straighten Tugger out.

"Oh, of course," Demeter agreed sheepishly. She scratched behind her ear for a moment before looking at the tux with a motherly concern. "By the way- how are you taking Plato and Victoria? I know you two were… very close before that."

"It's fine," Quaxo said with a shrug, he hadn't really thought about it. "I think it's good for her, and it makes her happy- that's what matters." The golden queen raised an eyebrow at this, then nodded.

"That's a very mature attitude," she said with a warm smile, "I'm glad you aren't upset about it." Quaxo cocked his head to the side in confusion, which the queen didn't seem to notice. She stood up and stretched. "Unless you need anything, I'll be heading off now." She paused for a response, and he shook his head that he didn't, "It was nice to talk to you, Quaxo. Don't be such a stranger, alright?" she said with a smile, gracefully climbing off the chair and continuing with her interrupted rounds.

---

A chill wind picked up, easily dancing through the tux's short fur and hitting his skin. He shuddered, it was still a bit of time until winter and already he was being reminded of how little he liked the coldest season.

What really annoyed the young tom is that the weather was, quite frankly, not all that cold. He had always had a low tolerance to cold, which was probably most of the reason he and Victoria were so close. She was the only one willing to put up with his shivering a month before anyone else realized it could be cold. Or at least who didn't see it as yet another thing she could tease him about.

He muttered, pacing. Quaxo wasn't one to pace, but he knew that it would help keep him warm. It also properly expressed his annoyance at the cold and how unfair it was that he felt cold when it was actually a pretty decent temperature.

After a few moments of that he got that distinct prickling in the back of your neck that comes when you can tell you're being watched. The tux stopped, looking around. He groaned, noticing the Rum Tum Tugger perched on a box a ways off, watching him curiously. Quaxo walked over and ended up watching the other tom.

"So… what are you doing?" he asked after a moment, realizing that they had essentially ended up in an impromptu staring contest.

Tugger nodded down towards the clearing where many of the jellicles were. Most notably to a group of kittens who were clustered around and talking amongst themselves rather than playing as they usually did.

"The kits saw you pacing so angrily and it freaked them out," he said with a shrug. "I figured I'd see what was up."

"Oh, sorry about that. It's just cold," he mumbled with a sigh, waving slightly to the kittens with a smile. It failed to reassure them. "pacing keeps me warm."

Tugger paused for a moment, glancing uncertainly at him. "Erm, it really isn't. A bit chilly, maybe, but not _that_ cold."

Quaxo groaned, trying to keep his temper down. This was something he'd been answering since before he could talk, and it had gotten old when he was a kitten. "Fine. It's not cold, but I am. I don't know why, I just have a naturally low tolerance to cold. I always have."

"It's probably that coat of yours," Tugger reasoned, pinching a few strands of Quaxo's headfur and holding them up to demonstrate. "Any shorter and you'd be one of those furless breeds. Sphynx cat or something."

The tux batted his paw away with a small smile, amused even though having his fur pulled was hardly pleasant. "Pretty much," he said with a wistful sigh, trying not to be too jealous of Tugger's long fur.

The wind picked up for a moment, causing the small cat to shiver. Tugger reached out to warm the tom before realizing this would probably be a fairly bad idea. Mistoffelees caught this and his conversation with Demeter came to mind. It was hard to ignore how much his body was shaking now, and he knew it would only get colder.

"Hey," Misto said awkwardly, quite certain he didn't feel like asking this question. "Ah… remember when you offered to keep me warm when it got cold?"

"Yes," Tugger said, trying not to blush at the memory of it. He cleared his throat instead, straightening his posture.

"Where you serious?"

"How serious?"

Misto smiled. Apparently discomfort loved company as much as misery. "Um, well, it's probably going to get pretty cold at night during the winter, and I still haven't really gotten around to finding a den."

"Oh," the Maine Coon agreed with a nod, "Yeah, that's fine. What do you usually do?"

The tux shrugged awkwardly. "I like sleeping outside, under the stars," he admitted, "I never could get comfortable sleeping inside- but I don't exactly have the coat to stay outside."

"I might have to try that some time," he said, intrigued by the idea. He cocked his head to one side and looked over at the cat, "What made you ask? I didn't think you trusted me enough to."

"Um, Demeter suggested it and I ended up talking to her about you."

Tugger stared for a moment before chuckling nervously, "I'm guessing she's hoping a house guest'll get me to straighten out." Mistoffelees nodded apologetically, shrugging as he did. The tom smirked grimly, he knew Munk and Demeter too well, "But if she made it so that you're comfortable enough to be alright with it, I'll thank her anyways."

The conjuring cat smiled shyly at that. The wind blew again and he glanced around. The kittens had apparently forgotten their concerns and had returned to playing, and no one else was paying any attention to the two toms. He jumped on the box and huddled into the larger cat for warmth, still shivering.

"Um," Tugger said awkwardly, trying to decide how to react to this. Quaxo avoided looking at the Maine Coon, mumbling apologies with chattering teeth. The tom nodded, hunching slightly to help shield the small tom and while rubbing his arms to try and warm him up. "You really are just skin and bones with a tiny layer of fur, aren't you?"

"It's great in summer," he said regretfully, warming up quickly. He briefly considered stepping away from Tugger, but really didn't want to brave the chill of the late fall air.

"Yeah… So is it safe to say that you'll be staying with me tonight?" Tugger asked a bit shyly. It was strange to see 'shy' associated with the Rum Tum Tugger, but there it was.

"If you don't mind, yeah," the tux agreed, blushing deeply. He burrowed his head in the cat's mane to hide this, although it only served to make him blush more.

Tugger squeezed the conjurer very gently, "I think we're going through a cold snap anyways," he said, "If you're already this cold while the sun is shining I definitely wouldn't turn you out at night."

The curious cat had to suppress a sigh at the realization that this might be a fairly difficult night. He'd never seen himself as a particularly huggy or affectionate cat, but now that he actually had his arms around Quaxo he knew that it'd be hard to avoid snuggling him the entire time. With any luck, it'd be cold enough to justify it.

Either way, this was certainly going to be a learning experience.

* * *

*** I have no idea how realistic a cat getting cold like this is, but I'm in the southern US and it's too cold out for my long-furred kitty, so I imagine Quaxo could feel the same way in the UK. And, yes, I've been to the UK in winter- it does get a bit nippy.


	9. Chapter 9

Tugger's den was more impressive than the tux would ever care to admit. Apparently someone had thrown out a cabinet, and he'd managed to usurp it. One of the doors had come off it's hinge, and was now perched in such a way that it was just open enough for the large tom to easily get inside. The sunset painted it with soft and warm hue, making it even more inviting. Quaxo's tail twitched and he licked his lips, as they walked over. The curious nature that most cats had to explore such places was tugging at him.

The inside wasn't much more interesting, mostly just pillows and blankets. There was a fur-coated depression that was pretty obviously Tugger's usual bed in the middle. Quaxo sniffed gently, noticing he only smelled the Maine Coon's scent and wondering if any other cats had ever been here. The tux smiled to himself at the thought he might be the first.

The two cats stood in the den awkwardly for a moment. Neither was particularly accustomed to being or having guests, and weren't particularly certain of what to do here.

"So, yeah, it's not much…" Tugger said finally, not really one for uncomfortable silences. He shrugged, feeling fairly self-conscious.

"I like it," the tux said softly, still looking around. There was a cobweb in the corner, but that happened in human houses pretty often, and was hardly something to complain about. There was a pile of blankets he was particularly tempted to curl up in, but he wasn't sure if that was rude to do. The etiquette on this escaped him.

"You do?" obvious surprise was in his voice, "Um, thanks." Tugger glanced over at the other tom curiously for a moment before flopping down in the depression that Quaxo had accurately guessed was his usual bed.

The tux gingerly sat in the spot he'd been eyeing, watching the tom to make sure he was alright to do so. The coon really didn't seem to care. Gently, he rested his head against his paws, looking at the other tom curiously.

"Do you like living alone?" he asked shyly.

"Never really thought about it. It's alright- but there're certain advantages to living with someone," he grinned to himself. The grin fell immediately as he glanced over at Quaxo, turning to a scowl. "I didn't mean it like _that_."

"Of course you didn't," the tux agreed, rolling over slightly, "I really don't care what you meant- as long as you don't expect to get any… advantages from me." He glanced uncertainly over at the larger tom, who had fallen silent. Tugger was clearly lost in thoughts, his brows furrowed.

The Maine Coon stood up after a pause, not saying a word until he reached the door. "Look- clearly you're gonna be more comfortable without me here, and I'll be fine staying outside tonight so it'd be selfish to ask you to leave." He said gently, slipping into the night.

The tuxedo hissed, wishing there were something in there he could scratch or zap. There wasn't, of course, but he sincerely wished he could take his frustration out on something. He spent an hour trying to fall asleep, knowing that he'd be unable to. Finally he gave up, sucked up his pride, and slunk out the door.

---

Stepping into the cool air felt a bit like a slap. The crisp, fresh air filled his lungs and he realized just how strongly that den had smelled of Tugger. He shivered, but appreciated the sobering effect the air had on him. He searched his mind, trying to decide where the Maine Coon could have gone. Once again he felt a stab of guilt, realizing that he didn't know much at all about the tom for all the judgements he made.

"What do you want, Quaxo?" the dull voice answered his question, and he glanced up to see the Maine Coon stretched over the top of the cabinet. The tux sighed to himself, jumping up on the cabinet, scrambling slightly at the edge, unused to such a smooth surface. He walked next to the large tom, who made no motion to acknowledge his presence beyond the question.

"Well," the tux said gently, feeling very much like a small kitten who had been caught doing something wrong. "I'm sorry."

"Figured you would be," was all the reaction this got. After a beat the Maine Coon sighed and sat up, shaking his head. "You don't really have to—okay, you _do_ have to be sorry, because that was just cold. But I can't really fault you for it. That doesn't mean I have to take it, though."

The tux cringed despite himself, and nodded quietly. "I know it isn't fair, I don't know why I always say things like that." That was a lie. He knew exactly why. Quaxo took a deep breath. "I just don't want to get hurt."

The almost clichéd words leapt to the Maine Coon's mind. '_I would never hurt you_' was a nice sentiment, but one he'd already disproved some time ago. And even if it weren't for that, as long as he was unsure of exactly _what_ he felt for this tom… His heart skipped a beat …that was hardly a promise he could make.

"Alright- I can respect that," Tugger said gently, nuzzling Quaxo appreciatively before realizing what he was doing. The tux stiffened, but otherwise didn't complain. The Maine Coon immediately pulled back and muttered an apology.

"Um…" Quaxo murmured. He had always been affectionate with Victoria, and even a bit with the other younger queens, and he supposed there wasn't much of a reason to act any differently with Tugger. Well, there were a few, but nothing substantial.

The small tom gently and hesitantly nuzzled Tugger, who's head was still cocked waiting for what the tux was about to say. Now it was his turn to stiffen, not sure how he was supposed to answer to that. Quaxo smiled shyly at Tugger.

"Thank you," he said softly, scratching his chin awkwardly. "I think that's enough for now, though." Quaxo nodded appreciatively, shivering in the cold night air. He'd managed to forget about the temperature under the weight of his guilt, but now it was nipping at him again.

Tugger ruffled the smaller tom's headfur with a sad chuckle. "You should go back inside."

"I'm okay here," the tux insisted, leaning into the larger tom's body heat. "I like sleeping outside better, anyways."

"Yeah…" Tugger said, smirking, "Although I can't help but remember that you were fairly scared of how people would respond to you liking toms- and I'll be the first to admit that being caught snuggled up with me isn't going to do wonders for that reputation."

Blue eyes widened at this realization, and he all but lept away from the tom before coughing awkwardly and regaining his composure. The Maine Coon clapped a paw over his mouth to muffle his laughter. "Sorry… um… that's a good point," he mumbled, before glancing awkwardly at Tugger, "Are you staying here?"

"Well…" the Maine Coon said, getting over his laughing fit and managing to respond seriously. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, so if you want I'll stay up here." He stretched, glancing up at the stars. "It's really no trouble- I like it up here."

Quaxo took a deep breath, feeling a great deal more exposed than he would ever care to admit. "I'd, um, like it if you came with me." Tugger cocked his head to the side before nodding with a smile.

"I think I can do that."

---

One thing the Maine Coon always appreciated about being part of the jellicles was that there was at least one cat who could help you with about anything- and they were never that far away. It was one of the main reasons he stayed with them. That and his devoted fans, of course.

Today he had a pretty good idea which cats he should talk to. The only question was where to find them. Tugger had asked around, and the overwhelming answer was that they had no specific haunting spots but always showed up where and when they were needed. That wasn't particularly helpful, in fact it was downright unsettling.

So, despite knowing the effort would be fruitless, the maine coon spent the better part of the day looking for them. He glanced up at the sky now, the sun would be setting soon and he realized just how far he'd wandered from the others. He'd have to head back pretty soon.

The tom sighed. Where they were needed- maybe he didn't really need to talk to them. It wasn't a major problem, something he could handle himself, but he would really appreciate their help.

He paused, realizing he'd found his way to the tree where Quaxo had shown his seductive prowess. That was too much to be coincidental. With a smirk, he glanced up in the branches and found two pairs of eyes watching him curiously. Now that was just annoying.

Tugger quickly climbed up to a branch just below them, and surveyed the pair for the first time. The white and black cats had a spidery pattern that reminded him of the night sky. It was odd how identical their coats were, even Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had some variations. But what was even odder was the realization that they were sitting in the same pose, and even their blinking was synchronized.

"You two are the psychic cats, right?" he asked uncertainly.

"We have a higher perception than most cats," Coricopat corrected.

"Such a high perception that it can seem that we can see into the beyond," Tantomile agreed, "and sometimes we do see the unseen."

Tugger nodded, not sure what that just answered, "Can you help me?" They looked at him for a moment, cocking their heads.

"You're lost in the woods," Tantomile said gently.

"So caught up in your own act that you've forgotten yourself," her brother added critically.

"I'm not very good at all that introversion stuff, yeh," he agreed, not sure if that was what they said.

"Intro_spection_," Tantomile corrected with a smile. "Do you want to know something in particular?" She already knew the answer to that, but also knew that it was very off-putting to have someone answer a question you never asked.

The Maine Coon nodded, smiling slightly at the female twin. Coricopat just seemed uninterested in the entire situation. "I need to know if my feelings for—" he hesitated. He wasn't even sure if his hesitation was because he didn't want to 'out' Quaxo or himself.

"Both," Coricopat told him, he didn't have the same patience his sister did for these things. Tantomile shot him a look, which he ignored. "You need to know if your feelings for that tom are genuine or if it's just your _disobliging_ nature."

"Um… yes…" he preferred Tantomile's approach to this. "So do you two know everything?"

"We can hear thoughts," Tantomile explained, "We cannot read your mind, only hear what you're currently thinking about. And there are limits to that."

"Trying to hide your thoughts only causes them to be broadcasted louder," Coricopat added, "so please stop trying."

Of course, this caused his thoughts to immediately go to the last thing he'd want anyone to know about. Trying to take Coricopat's words to heart he decided the only way to do this was to embrace it. There were a few questions he had, anyways.

"Well then, can you tell me why… I… Well…" he trailed off, not able to put it to words.

"Why you wha—" Tantomile started, before realizing exactly what he meant. Both of the twins glared at him.

"Yeah, you see the problem," Tugger replied bitterly. "I only wanted to talk to him and then as soon as I saw him— What if I do it again?"

"You really don't need a psychic cat for this," Coricopat lay down against the branch. "Think about it-" "When was the last time-" Tantomile continued before they ended in unison, "You needed to control your impulses?"

He adjusted a lock of fur on his mane, thinking about it. "What do you mean?"

"You're Deuteronomy's youngest son," Tantomile begain this time. "You haven't been truly punished in your life." "Just about anything you do is accepted as childish fun." "You've never really had to think before acting- you can get away with anything."

Painfully honest, and something he had never really thought of. Did being the son of Deuteronomy really let him get away with more than the other cats? He paused for Coricopat's commentary on this thought. "The amount of attention your brothers got also caused you to act out as much as you do." Tugger smiled as Coricopat rolled his eyes, these two would make great therapists. Or entertaining ones, at least.

"But what did this have to do with my pinning Quaxo?" he asked, confused.

"Rum," Tantomile said gently, using the nickname only Munk and his father had ever called him, "What happens when a tom with poor impulse control sees the cat he fancies?"

Tugger stared at her for a moment, his brain slowly processing this information. "Wait, then that would mean…" he paused, his eyes widening, "Oh, fuck, you're kidding me!" he clapped his paw to his head and used the other one to steady himself on the branch. "I mean, I could've… I almost…"

Tantomile's attention was diverted by her brother's temptation to smack some sense into the Maine Coon. With claws. She hissed something at him, and Tugger broke out of his breakdown long enough to look up curiously. Tantomile just smiled at him as if nothing had happened.

The large tom nodded uncertainly, thinking he had worn out his welcome with the two. Not that he had much of a welcome with the male twin. Something clicked in his mind. "Does that mean I actually like him, though?"

"How long does a challenge hold your attention before you get bored with it?" Coricopat asked him quietly, apparently his sister had convinced him to be more patient.

"We can only tell you what you know but do not realize," Tantomile elaborated, "Those questions are beyond our scope."

The two fell into silence for a moment, before Coricopat spoke again. "One more thing before we leave."

To Tugger's surprise, Coricopat nimbly climbed onto the branch. He crouched next to the curious cat and hissed into his ear, "Do _not_ make the mistake of assuming wanting to sleep with a cat means you love them."

Before he could demand elaboration, the twins disappeared. To be more accurate, they climbed down the tree as quickly as cats could and found a trail that let them out of Tugger's sight. It was hard to believe they could move so quickly.

The Maine Coon growled, feeling even more confused than he had before. He thought over Coricopat's last words, mulling them over in his mind. Tugger _didn't_ want to sleep with Quaxo, though. Not like that, anyways. Maybe a bit, but it wasn't a big objective in relation to other things.

Carefully climbing down the tree and heading towards the part of the junkyard the jellicles claimed, Tugger couldn't help but wonder if that was what Coricopat had meant.

* * *

*** Sorry if the psychic thing is a bit forced. I _adore_ Cori & Tantomile, and couldn't help but want to throw them in. But I think this is a bit longer than most of the other chapters- so maybe that makes up for it.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Fluff warning. With marshmallows and unicorns and rainbows. Sorry for anyone who dislikes fluff. Oh, also, tom/tom affection. I don't really care if you're not into it- but there's been a slash warning for, like, 9 chapters. Seriously.

* * *

"You decided to ask _psychics_ for relationship advice?" Quaxo asked incredulously. He chuckled while he tried to decide how that made any sense.

"Hey- you talked to my _sister-in-law_."

"Who else can I trust to be completely honest?" The older tom could not argue with this. If there was anyone who would be scathingly critical while begrudgingly accepting his good points, it was Demeter.

"I actually really enjoyed talking to them," Tugger insisted, "I wouldn't mind talking to them more often, although I don't think Cori' would appreciate that." Quaxo was certain that Coricopat would appreciate that nickname even less.

Tugger grinned to himself, glad that he'd decided to talk to the tux about this. It was a few days later, as he figured it'd be a good idea to give the conversation some time to sit in his mind just in case he realized something about it that he wouldn't want to mention to the other tom. Sure, he could have spent time trying to take it apart himself or talked to an older and wiser cat, but taking advantage of Quaxo's being more open around him seemed like a much better plan. And it turned out he was right.

"Did they help you at all, or was it just an interesting talk?" the tux asked curiously, snaking his way under Tugger's paws to get warm. It was nice to be able to do that and know they were both comfortable with it. And since everyone was already familiar with how often Quaxo disappeared, no one (except perhaps Victoria, who knew to keep it to herself) really noticed that the two were spending time together. They weren't doing anything, of course, but the tux still felt his paranoia was fairly justified.

The Maine Coon scratched Quaxo's head for a moment, "Before I answer that- I gotta ask. You never seemed like a cat who's that big on affection, am I just that special?" He couldn't help but grin cheekily, his cocky nature taking over a bit.

The tux chuckled at this, shaking his head. "You didn't know me as a kitten. It was mostly with Victoria, but sometimes a few of the other queens, but we spent so much time cuddling that most people th—" he paused, the conversation with Demeter coming to his mind. "Oh."

"What?"

Quaxo coughed gently, "Well, ah, while I was talking to Demeter she mentioned how mature it was that I wasn't upset about Plato and Victoria… and I just realized why."

"Ah…"

"Yea- but even if I did like queens, that'd be too weird. She's like my sister," Quaxo insisted, scrunching his nose up at the idea.

"So basically what you're saying is that there are _two_ toms who'd castrate me if I ever so much as wink at her? Well, that's good to know," Tugger agreed with a nervous chuckle.

The tux grinned at this, nodding. "And one of them can get close to you without a problem," he reminded with a nuzzle, "So you better watch yourself."

"Eh heh, yeah…" Tugger said, scratching behind his ear, not really sure what else to say about that. It was an unpleasant concept. He was grateful to have a very easy way to change the subject handy, "But back to Tanti & Cori- The only thing either of them said straight out is not to confuse love and sex."

"I guess that makes sense with your reputation," the conjuring cat agreed. "I don't know how useful it is, though."

"Mm." Tugger agreed, adjusting so that he could lay down without squishing his friend. "It kinda got me thinking, though. If you could have sex without love- couldn't you have love without sex?"

"Sure, that's what friendship is," he agreed, a bit confused by this line of thinking. Tugger shook his head, trying to think of the words, which confused Quaxo further. "Tugger- don't you think that, y'know, _mating_ is kind of a big part of being _mates_?"

"Don't you think having kittens is a big part of mating?"

"So what? Because I like toms I'm not supposed to like mating?"

Tugger gently swatted Misto's head at this, glaring at him. "Hey- that was oversensitive and you know it. We _both _know toms who've been spayed and like mating just fine. That ain't what I meant. I just mean that even if there _were_ a cat who _didn't_ like mating, that doesn't mean they couldn't find a mate and be happy."

The tux nodded, rubbing his head awkwardly. The swat itself didn't hurt any, but his pride was a bit bruised that he'd reacted like that. He nodded numbly, not wanting to answer that.

"It doesn't matter, anyways, just something I was thinking about," Tugger muttered awkwardly.

"Hey- is it okay if I ask you a question?" Quaxo asked quietly. The Maine Coon stared at the tux, not certain he liked the question that was undoubtedly going to follow.

"Do I have to answer?"

"I guess not." Tugger nodded at this, still apprehensive. "_Do_ you want to… y'know… sleep with me?"

The coon's paw now moved to his chin, which he scratched awkwardly, avoiding the tux's eyes. "Um, no, actually. I mean…I don't _not_ want to, it just isn't really a priority.

Quaxo raised his eyebrows, "Neither was I, actually, the thought hadn't really crossed my mind…" a doubtful look came on his face. The young tux sighed heavily, "I know what you just said- but that still seems a bit iffy."

"I suppose. It's not like we have to," the Maine Coon pointed out with a shrug, his tail twitching unhappily was the only sign of his actual feelings on the matter.

The tux glanced up at Tugger. "Hey- can you look at me for a second?" The other tom obliged, and the bright blue eyes of the tux studied the golden eyes of the maine coon for a moment, thinking.

"What matters is what I want, right, Tugger?" he asked gently, turning his gaze to his paws as he tried to think this through.

The Maine Coon nuzzled Quaxo gently, "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

The tux grinned with a pur. He nodded, leaning over and kissing the Rum Tum Tugger's cheek, pulling away with an affectionate nuzzle.

"Does that mean--?" Tugger asked before getting ahead of himself, blushing gently.

"Yeah," Quaxo said softly. "Even if you aren't sure how you like me, we get along enough that I can't see this ending badly. So… um… yeah… I'd like to give us a try, if you don't mind, that is."

The Maine Coon placed a paw on Quaxo's cheek and turned it toward him delicately. He beamed at the smaller tom, sincerely hoping that the joy he was currently feeling meant that his feelings were genuine. It seemed like a good bet. Quaxo grinned back.

"I guess we've got some things to figure out then, huh?" Quaxo said happily, burrowing closer to Tugger, enjoying the warm fuzzy feelings that were embracing him.

"Yeah…" Tugger agreed, purring. "Did you mean what you said about not caring if I still flirted with… well… everyone?"

The tux paused at this, "No- actually, I just said it to trap you even though it'd be a waste of both of our time." He said with a chuckle, "Yeah- that's fine. Just… don't try it with me, it's really creepy."

Tugger scooped the tux into a close hug, squeezing him close as he laughed, "Everlasting cat- I'm going to have to get used to sarcasm now." Quaxo didn't reply to this, instead gesturing vaguely to try and express that he was not quite able to breathe as a result of the squeezing. After a moment, the maned tom loosened his grip, smiling apologetically as the tuxedo sputtered for breath.

"You do realize we can't exactly tell everyone though," he pointed out, still refilling his lungs while trying not to laugh.

"Because you don't want anyone to know," Tugger agreed bitterly, he knew he'd have to deal with that from the first time it came up.

"No," the tux shook his head, although that was a bit of it. "We both know you couldn't get away with flirting if you were in a known relationship- we'd both get hell for it. You for being so insensitive- me for putting up with it."

"Oh… right…" he agreed uncertainly. Maybe he could try seeing how long he could go without it and see if that would be okay permanently… "Wait- is there any benefit of telling other people?"

"Not really. I'll probably tell Victoria just because…" he didn't have a reason for that. To thank her for sticking her nose where it didn't even belong, thus reinforcing that this was a good thing to do, which he was certain Plato wouldn't forgive him for. "Well, because she's Victoria. So she, and possibly Plato, will know. But beyond that- I don't think there's much of a reason to. How often will it come up? You know I don't like attention enough for it to." He thought for a moment. "You can mention it to your brother if you want- although I'd really rather Demeter didn't know."

Tugger nodded at this, smiling. "Sounds like it's better just not telling anyone who doesn't need to know either way," he said gently, placing a kiss on Quaxo's head. As much as he wanted to tell everyone who would listen- it would probably just bring unwanted attention to the tux, which really wasn't worth it.

"You alright with that?" the conjurer asked, concerned at how put-off the Maine Coon had been when he first mentioned this.

The tug squeezed him affectionately again, "As long as I still get to do this, I really don't care if we have to actively hide it in public." Quaxo blushed at this, pleased.

The tom delicately placed a paw on Tugger's face and drew himself towards it. He realized he was shaking, and saw the concern in the other tom's eyes. Shyly, he placed a kiss on the Tugger's lips.

The two sighed heavily after they parted, the tux looping his arms around Tugger's neck, burying his face in it as his face burned red about it.

"This is going to work out," Tugger insisted happily, stroking the tom's, no, _his_ tom's back. That felt good to think, _right_ to think. "I guarantee it."

* * *

*** Ah.... L'amour. Next time we get to find out exactly how Victoria feels about how her plan came out.

I also noticed that I pretty much stopped calling Quaxo 'Misto'/'Mstoffelees'. I'm not really sure why, I just noticed this. Sorry for any confusion.


	11. Chapter 11

Quaxo found himself watching the other jellicles from a post a ways above them, amused. This was quickly turning into his favorite activity. Tugger was up to his usual tricks, which he completely expected. What he didn't expect was that it genuinely was fine. He actually couldn't help but smile, watching him with his squealing fans who hung on his every word and movement. The Rum Tum Tugger really did love the attention, and Quaxo loved that it made him happy.

White movement at the edge of his vision caught his eye, and he looked over to see Victoria approaching him. He grinned, sitting up to greet her.

"Hey you," he said gently, and she smiled softly at him. "It's been awhile since we had a talk- you doing well?"

The white queen sat down next to him, surveying the scene for a moment before answering, "Oh, of course I am. I'm sorry we haven't been able to talk recently- you know it isn't personal."

The tux shook his head with a laugh, "I never doubted that," he assured her with a friendly nuzzle. She smiled, before frowning uncertainly at where the Maine Coon was. He glanced at her uncertainly, wondering what the frown was for.

"I guess I should have stayed out of this," she said, leaning against him. "I'm sorry about that, Quaxo, I hope I didn't cause any trouble. It was silly to think it'd work out."

"Vicki," he said gently, smiling at her, "It _did_ work out. You did good." She beamed at the praise, although it quickly fell and she sighed.

"But you're still alone. It doesn't seem fair."

Quaxo bit his lip, he had been planning to tell her but now he didn't feel so sure it would be a good idea. They both looked at Tugger for a moment- the tom had his arm around Bombi while chatting up Cassandra, who seemed to be playing hard to get. This definitely qualified as 'bad timing'.

"Yeah…" he said doubtfully, and instantly regretted it. Victoria had been able to tell when he was hiding something for years and her head spun at him.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "You _are_ still alone, right?" The tux licked his lips, not sure how to answer. Of course, the pause was answer enough. Victoria then did something he hadn't realized she was even capable of doing- she hissed. Claws at the ready she growled, "And he's… oh, that tom will regret he'd been born."

"Victoria, please," Quaxo begged meakly, "listen to me!"

"You can't defend that!" she insisted, shocked. Determination on her face she stood up and started making her way down the pile the two were focused on.

"If you'd just listen to me for a minute," he insisted, lunging after her to grab her paw. This caused both of them to lose their footing and they tumbled down, Quaxo landing first and quickly being smacked by the white queen. They both groaned.

It was, of course, too much to hope that this didn't draw any attention. Jellylorum and Demeter were at their side immediately, sizing up the damage and Plato started running over when he realized his love was involved. Munkustrap walked over, looking over where they had fallen from to make sure there wasn't any danger he should be aware of. There wasn't.

"What happened?" Demeter gasped as Quaxo pushed his friend off and sat up. He glanced around, shrinking under the attention. His eyes met Tugger's, and he couldn't help but smile at the concern on his mate's face. He shook his head gently, hoping that the tom wouldn't come over. It would be fairly out of character for him to, and he it was awkward enough having Jelly intently searching for any signs of a broken bone without that.

Plato was caring for Victoria, and his affection seemed to make the queen temporarily forget what she had been planning to do. The tux sighed at this, hoping that she wouldn't remember until he could get her alone to discuss this.

"I just lost my balance and took Victoria with me by accident," he muttered, trying to shoo the old queen off of him. "I'm _fine_, really."

"Are you sure that's all?" Demeter asked, raising an eyebrow. The young tom bristled, certain that he could sense some implications in the question. He didn't want to get into it though, and Jelly had apparently decided he was healthy enough.

"Be more careful next time, then," the matronly cat scolded, "You could have gotten seriously hurt."

He nodded at this, standing up and brushing himself off, trying to decide if it was safe to leave Victoria alone. His friend seemed to sense this, as she murmured something to Plato before walked over to Quaxo.

"We need to talk," she muttered, grabbing his arm and dragging him in the direction of somewhere more private. He glanced back just in time to notice Demeter whisper something to Jelly which caused both queens to shake their heads. He scowled, this was _exactly_ why he preferred being on his own.

---

"You are so lucky that Plato knows I can trust you," she snarled at him when they finally reached a clearing that people rarely came by.

"And you're so lucky you're a queen," he shot back, lightning sparking in his paws with fury. Unfortunately, this also meant that his coat had changed to it's oh-so-sparkly version. He tried to ignore this, but it was so hard to pull off 'menacing' when you were shedding glitter.

The white queen laughed bitterly, "I could beat you up and you know it!" It was true. "And how dare you be mad at me- I'm not the one you should be mad at!"

The tux groaned, noticing a can sitting at the top of a nearby stack and zapping it to let some energy off. Victoria jumped slightly but otherwise stood her ground. "Victoria, _please_," he repeated, "It genuinely is fine- I don't mind. _I_ said he could."

The queen stared at him, trying to get her mind around this. She shook her head. "You shouldn't have to pretend to be okay with this for him." Quaxo groaned heavily, rubbing his paws together for a moment and using both of them to zap an old lamp. It glowed for a moment before the bulb burst. Both cats automatically shielded their eyes in case some of the glass came their way.

"I'm sorry about that," he murmured, glad neither of them had been hurt. "Look, I know it doesn't make sense- but _I_ genuinely don't mind it. You know I can't stand it when his fanclub acts like that- but that really doesn't directly affect me unless I want it to. He loves the attention, I have no interest in giving him that kind of attention, who does it hurt?"

Victoria tried desperately to think of a good reason. She _knew_ that wasn't how things were supposed to work, she just couldn't think of a way to explain this. "But aren't you worried he'll end up cheating on you?"

Quaxo smirked, zapping an old, flower-patterned cushion. The burnt smell bothered their noses but it didn't catch fire. "Somehow, I'm not too worried about that." Victoria couldn't help but giggle.

"I guess you aren't planning on telling many people, then, huh?" she asked, still not entirely comfortable with the idea but deciding to trust her friend. Of course- if it turned out he wasn't as okay with this as he seemed, she'd have to go back to plan A.

"I wouldn't anyways… I don't like people making a fuss over me," he mumbled, noticing that his coat was finally back to normal when a few snowflakes hit his shoulder. He glanced up curiously, seeing a smooth grey sky that a light flurry was lazily drifting down from. Victoria walked behind Quaxo and placed her arms around him.

"I know you don't," she said gently, leaning her head on his shoulders. "And I also know you don't like the cold," she teased at his look of confusion. He grinned, nodding. They both sighed, and Quaxo couldn't help but wonder if it was a bit out of season for snow. "You know- Plato gave me some advice about this awhile ago that I guess I should take now."

"Oh?" he asked, curious. He didn't know Plato very well, and was never quite sure what to think of him other than being happy he made Victoria happy.

"Yeah… He told me that you're allowed to be happy in your own way," the white queen said, smiling fondly, "And it looks like you are happy- so it shouldn't matter if I wouldn't be."

Quaxo nodded, feeling considerably better about his friend's choice of mate. "I am, crazily enough," he said, placing his paws on her arm, "I did mean it- you did good."

"I guess what they say about women's intuition is true, then," Victoria said proudly, this time there was nothing to wipe it away.

---

It took what little willpower Tugger actually had to avoid sprinting over when the two jellicles tumbled down. Common sense, however, told him that if he did it'd only make the problem worse. Once Quaxo left, there was really no need to hold back and he did his best to swagger over casually. The two queens he had been with balked at being ignored, although they got over it quickly. Cassandra hadn't been very into it and Bombalurina had a few toms who were always up for some fun.

"It's not like I have anything to worry about," Plato was saying as he approached, "It's _Quaxo_. Besides, I trust Vicki."

Curious at what was going on, the Maine Coon hovered in the background. It was a new experience for him, but he didn't want to interrupt this. Somehow no one else noticed him, they were all too wrapped up in the conversation.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Demeter said, glancing in the direction that Victoria had dragged the poor tom, "Everyone knows that he fancied her- he might still- and they always have been _very_ close."

This visibly shook Plato, but he simply took a deep breath to calm himself. "Victoria's just like that- she gets friendly with everyone, toms included," this would have been a great sentiment if the doubt weren't so clearly there.

Demeter shook her head, "If you say so. I just don't want to see you getting hurt, Plato," she placed a sympathetic paw on the tall tom's shoulder.

Tugger tried to think of the best way to intervene here, not entirely liking the direction this was going as doubt started growing on Plato's face. His entire life up until this point had done nothing to prepare him for such a situation.

"Oh, Tugger, what do you want?" Munkustrap asked wearily, only now noticing his brother. He couldn't help but get the impression that his brother had been wondering the same thing- only being Demeter's mate he had to step even more cautiously than Tugger.

"I was wondering what happened is all," he replied, trying not to sound defensive.

"We don't know that ourselves," Munk admitted, "But no one is hurt and I don't think anyone was in danger- and that's what matters."

Plato glanced up to where they had fallen from, Demeter's words clearly having an unwanted affect. "They're both extremely graceful… What could they have been doing to fall off like that?" he asked quietly, glancing at the older cats for reassurance. Demeter simply sighed and nodded her head.

"What should I do?" the tom asked, turning to Munkustrap. The tabby thought about it for a moment, honestly not certain how they had even managed on this line of thought.

"You said you trust her. If you're really concerned, then talk to her about it. Victoria's a good kit, I can't see her doing anything wrong by you," he said softly, smiling gently.

Plato nodded, the doubt slipping away. "But what about Quaxo?" he asked, his front claws protracted although he tried to remain calm. "If he tried anyth-"

"Are you serious?" Tugger interrupted before mentally cringing. He had to stay out of this. He had heard humans talk about "being in the closet" and was now realizing that's exactly where he was, and it was not a lovely place to be. His tail twitched, this was completely unfair. Quaxo was his, damnit, he should have every right to defend him. And it was his own damn fault that he couldn't.

The three cats turned to him with expressions varying from angry to skeptical. Demeter was the first to speak, "Well- it's no secret that Victoria is the queen he's fondest of."

Tugger ran a hand through his headfur, trying to think over his words before he said them to make sure he wouldn't get himself in trouble. "Yeah- he loves her _like a sister_. He doesn't have any _interest_ in her," he insisted. That seemed safe enough. It also seemed that, if the tux _did_ want Victoria, he probably could have had her before Plato even had a chance- but that wasn't something that would help the situation.

"What would you even know about this?" Plato muttered, "It's not like you've got any experience here." Tugger scowled, he didn't see what that had to do with Quaxo's disinterest in queens, er, Victoria.

This seemed to be all Plato needed to make his mind up- as he then announced, "Alright- I'll go and find her and ask her about this," he glanced uncertainly at the jellicle protector who nodded his agreement, "And if I'm right about Quaxo…" he balled his paw into a fist as he growled this and made to walk off.

"Yeah- no," Tugger said, grabbing him by the shoulder, "You aren't beating up an innocent tom just because you're insecure." Plato turned around and glared down at Tugger. This was an impressive feat, very few cats were taller than the Maine Coon, and it made him fairly intimidating. Tugger was unimpressed and simply raised an eyebrow.

"I hate to say it," Munkustrap said, stepping in before anything got out of hand and giving his brother a warning look, "But my brother is right- we don't allow unprovoked violence, there are other ways to handle this."

"If he's done anything to Victoria- I don't care what the rules are," he insisted, only slightly cowed by this.

It was times like these that being an authority figure got weary, and Munkustrap sighed as Demeter stepped in to console the young tom. "Look- I understand how difficult this is, but I really can't let you go when you're this angry. I don't want you doing anything you regret."

"I can go track them down and bring Victoria back so they can talk," Tugger asked, this time earning looks that varied from _confused_ to skeptical. Not much of a step up. Munkustrap simply nodded and Plato muttered something about that being fine. The Maine Coon saluted them while trying not to roll his eyes before following what little scent there was to follow, wondering what it was Victoria saw in that tom.

* * *

*** I am not very happy with my portrayal of Plato- but he has so little personality in the film that it's hard to know how to portray him. Also, his makeup kind of creeps me out. Apologies to any Plato fans.


	12. Chapter 12

It didn't take too long for Tugger to find the two friends, but he paused for a moment to watch them. They were teasing and joking, playing like kittens. The snow was still falling and they were trying (and failing) to make the light flurry into snowballs to throw at each other.

A bit of jealousy stirred in the tom at the history that Victoria had with him, but he shoved it away, there was no point to that. There was no point dwelling on this, and he had come here with an express purpose.

"Hey," he called over, announcing his presence.

"Oooh!" Victoria cooed, falling over in laughter. Quaxo nudged her playfully, blushing, "Oh be nice…"

She pouted at this, sitting up and hugging the tux around the waste. "I'm _always_ nice, aren't I?"

"Yes, fine, you're always a perfect angel," he replied with a chuckle before looking over at Tugger, "What's up?"

Tugger couldn't help but feel full sympathy for Plato at this point, feeling very much like a third wheel in this situation. If there was any reason to think the tom had ever actually seen the two friends together, he would have immediately went back and apologized profusely.

"Um- Well, this is awkward, but Victoria- you need to head back and tell your tom that you aren't sleeping with Quaxo," he said, knowing there was a better way to word this and not particularly caring. Victoria looked up, annoyed.

"He knows he can trust me, though," she muttered, standing up and looking doubtfully at the tux, who had absolutely no idea how to respond to this. "Doesn't he?"

"Someone actually thinks I'm straight?" was all he could reply to this. Victoria scowled, smacking him over the head.

Tugger couldn't help but grin- that was his first thought, too. He now didn't feel quite so bad about it. "Er- Demeter planted the idea in his head. Apparently she's got it into her mind that Quaxo is just hopelessly in love with you."

The white queen nodded slowly, feeling a bit better about this. "I still don't like it, though. I guess we'll have a lot to talk about." She glanced at her friend, "I probably won't be able to see you for awhile." Quaxo nodded, understanding completely.

"He's where you two fell, or should be. With Munk and Deme," he told her, motioning in the direction.

Victoria hesitated, "Um, would you come with me? I don't know how Munkustrap feels about this, but if Demeter thinks… Well… it'd be nice to have someone on my side."

The Maine Coon bit his lip, "I have something I need to talk to Quaxo about, though." The tux cocked his head in confusion, trying to shut up the panic that phrase brought to him. When was the last time 'we need to talk' ended well?

"I can go with you most of the way and we can talk then- Vicki will hear about it at some point anyways if it's important enough," the white queen giggled and nodded her agreement. This wasn't ideal, but Tugger supposed it was better than nothing.

"What's up?" the tux asked again after they set off. Victoria walked a few paces ahead to give them a semblance of privacy. Both toms knew she was listening intently to every word rather than worry about her own relationship problems, but appreciated the effort.

The Maine Coon paused for a moment, not sure how best to answer this. He sighed, "I changed my mind," Quaxo felt his heart stop but tried to keep calm, "I really can't keep this a secret. Even the attention of the queens- it's not worth it, it's empty now, and I never want to be in a situation where I want to defend you but feel like I can't. That sucks."

The tux twitched his tail for a moment at this before lightly punching his mate in the arm. "Don't _do_ that to me! I thought you wanted to break up, jerk." He hissed, sulking.

"Bast! I didn't realize how much that sounded like… I am so sorry," the tom replied, trying not to laugh. "But what do you think- you okay with everyone knowing?"

"I don't know. I guess," he sighed. His privacy was nice, but a bit of him knew this would happen one day. Did it really have to happen on the same day he was accused of being a home wrecker? "You know I don't like attention- but that'll fade quickly enough. If it means that much to you, sure."

Tugger grinned, pausing for a moment to hug Quaxo. Victoria snuck a glance at the two of them, smiling to herself. "If Plato causes a fuss- can I at least present this as proof you aren't after his queen?"

"If Plato causes a fuss he might not have a queen anymore," Victoria called back angrily, her ears going flat for a moment. Quaxo silently mouthed yes to the question anyways. From what he'd seen, Plato was quite the fighter and not a cat you wanted to be on the bad side of.

"Oh, we're almost there," Victoria said, stopping before the corner they'd have to turn. She looked at Quaxo, "You should probably stay here…"

The two toms nodded, not the least bit eager to part ways. Tugger placed a quick kiss on Quaxo's cheek, "I'll meet you back at the den, alright?" Quaxo nodded, deciding to make himself scarce rather than risk causing an upset.

---

Victoria was very tempted to storm over and slap Plato for not trusting her, but knew that it was only fair to hear his side first. Besides, Tugger wasn't the most reliable messenger and probably elaborated a bit in his description.

She walked over to where the three cats were still talking before clearing her throat delicately to get their attention. The two older cats respectfully took a few steps back to give the couple their distance, and Plato walked over to his queen.

"Plato- you wanted to talk to me?" she asked softly.

The tom nodded, taking a deep breath and glancing at Munkustrap to keep from saying anything stupid. "I, well, I just wanted to make sure that Quaxo's… well…" he tripped over himself, trying to think how to say this, "With the way you two fell earlier, I wanted to make sure that he hadn't done anything to hurt you."

A blush crept on the white queen's face, and she felt guilty for her earlier anger. She smiled at him and touched a paw to his face, "No- he's a very good friend of mine, Plato. I know he'd never try to hurt me."

The tom smiled as well, placing one of his paws over hers for a moment, before clearing his throat. The next question would not be pleasant. "I also— Are you certain that being friends is _all_ he wants?"

Victoria sighed gently, shaking her head, "I don't know how to prove that to you- but _yes_. That's all either of us want. Please believe me?"

"You know I believe you," he insisted, placing a paw on her face. "But you're so wonderful- it's hard to believe any tom couldn't be interested in you."

As any cat would at hearing something so wonderful from their beloved, Victoria melted with an, "Oh, Plato."

She stood on tiptoes, and he lent down to kiss her softly. "You really don't have to worry about him, I promise." She added, leaning against his chest.

Deciding that their work was done, Munkustrap and Demeter quietly left the young couple to their own devices, making sure Tugger did the same.

----

As anyone could have guessed, things between Victoria and Plato immediately went back to normal. If anything, their relationship strengthened over it. Quaxo still felt the need to talk to Plato about this, though. This was mostly inspired by his desire to not end up getting attacked the next time he spent any time with Victoria.

The next time he saw the queen, he asked her when and where would be a good time to talk to him- and she agreed to help plan a meeting for them. The tux decided not to tell Tugger about it at this time, he had a pretty good feeling that his mate would demand to be there just in case Plato decided he was still angry- and Quaxo really didn't want to deal with that.

So here he was on a brisk, early winter morning, making his way to the tire Victoria agreed to get Plato to meet him at. It was close enough to where most jellicles spent their time that Quaxo wouldn't be in serious danger if things did get bad, but far enough that there was still some privacy. When he got there he saw that Victoria had chosen to keep him company, and he hesitated.

It seemed like the two were having a moment that he didn't want to interrupt, or they were at least looking adorably content together. The tux smiled to himself at this, however Plato felt about him- it was obvious the tom cared deeply for Victoria, and that was ultimately what mattered.

After a bit of hesitating, he walked over to the two of them. Victoria was the first to notice him, and she waved happily. When he reached the tire, she reached over and kissed Plato on the cheek before standing up

"I'll let you two talk alone- I'll see you later," she said cheerfully before walking off.

"You love her, don't you?" Quaxo asked, looking over Plato properly for the first time.

The other tom fidgeted slightly at this, apparently not very comfortable at being observed so closely. "I do," he said, smiling to himself, "She's an amazing queen."

The tux nodded approvingly, before remembering what he was here for. "I wanted to make sure you know that I'm really not after her, we're just friends. You make her so happy that I wouldn't want to mess that up."

The tall tom nodded, "Thanks. I've had a few cats say that since the other day- but it's so hard to believe any tom could be uninterested in her." The tom scratched behind his ear for a moment, "Why don't you like her, anyways? You know her so well."

The tux shrugged, "I've known her since we were so young, and we've always been so close, it really is like we're siblings. It'd just be weird to think of her like that." It wasn't the whole story, but it was also true. The cats who didn't know them very well always thought that they actually were littermates.

"Alright, I can understand that," Plato agreed. "Sorry about assuming the worst of you."

The tux waved it away, "Don't worry about it- everyone gets irrational when they're worried about the person they love. It just means you care about her, and I really can't fault you for that."

"You really are mature, kit," the tom replied, raising his eyebrows. The conjuring cat was getting it a lot these days, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was because he was so small he still looked more like a kitten than a tom. He was saved from this train of thought by Plato asking another question, "'Tori mentioned that she was trying to play matchmaker with you- is she still on that?"

"Oh, that," he said, trying not to blush or seem like that was a big question for him. Although he'd given Tugger permission to tell other jellicles, he had no interest in doing so himself. The tux tried to shrug casually, "Well- it was sweet of her to try, but I wasn't even looking for a mate in the first place."

If the other tom had any doubts about this explanation, he didn't show it. Instead he just nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she always tries to help people whether they need it or not," he chuckled, "But I think I'd be more worried if she didn't."

"So you know I'm not after your queen now, right?" Quaxo asked, "Vicki is a really good friend and I'd hate to lose her— but if you aren't comfortable, I'll back off."

The tom grinned at this, "No- it's fine. Besides, if she found out I told someone she can't be friends with her, she'd never speak to me."

The tux smiled, that was definitely true. For such a demure queen, Victoria was very much her own cat. And that was probably what they both loved about her.


	13. Chapter 13

Winter was starting to get in full swing, as the layer of snow that coated the junkyard was evidence of. The tuxedoed tom shivered, glancing out of the den. He'd only just woken up, and decided to check out what it was like outside before deciding whether to go out or snuggle back up with Tugger. He was definitely going with the latter.

"Oh, you're up?" the Maine Coon asked, stretching. Quaxo nodded, walking back over and sitting next to him.

"It's snowing out, and it's actually started sticking… It's going to be too cold for me to go out soon," he muttered.

Tugger nuzzled him, "You only avoid everyone anyways. Besides, I'm not opposed to staying in all winter," the tom teased, licking his face affectionately.

Quaxo purred, "Yeah- I'll bet you wouldn't," he chuckled, looping his arms around Tugger. "By the way, I wanted to talk to you about, well, telling people. We didn't get a chance to talk about it much since then."

The Maine Coon twitched his tail uncertainly, he didn't really think there was anything _to_ talk about, but was now glad that he hadn't had the chance to tell anyone. He lay back down, dragging Quaxo with him, deciding he'd rather be lying down for this particular conversation.

"Alright," he said with a sigh, "Talk."

The tux fidgeted, not really expecting that kind of a reaction, and really not sure what to say. "Well… I still don't know how comfortable I am with anyone knowing. For all her acceptance, I know it still makes Victoria a bit uncomfortable sometimes- I'm not that optimistic about anyone else."

"Misto, you aren't that optimistic about _anyone_ period," Tugger pointed out. He had never considered people reacting badly to this, and wasn't really sure why Quaxo was so concerned about this. The tom sighed, "Do you mind if I ask… Would you be more okay with people knowing if you were with someone else?"

The tux bit his lip, that was a question he needed to think about how to answer but taking too long to think about it would be an answer in itself. He shook his head, clinging to his tom. "Um… maybe."

He groaned at this, that was what he'd thought. "Quaxo," the small tom shrunk slightly, Tugger using his first name was never a good sign. He kissed the tux gently on the forehead to assure him before continuing, "It's alright, it's just not pleasant to know you're ashamed of me."

"I am not ashamed of you!" he insisted, sitting up so that he could actually see his tom's face. "I'm just… ashamed of your reputation," he admitted sheepishly after the initial indignation wore off.

"Yeah, that's much better," the Maine Coon muttered, placing his now free paws behind his head. "You're not ashamed of me- just the persona I've spent most of my life trying to cultivate."

"Don't even try that," Quaxo snapped, "We both know that it's just a front to get attention while pushing people away. You don't even like queens—"

"I like them more than I like toms," he snarled. This was true, even though he hadn't had any interest in actually mating with one he always preferred the way they looked, smelled, and acted to toms. Quaxo was just an exception to this.

The tux ignored this jab, "Exactly. Why would an _asexual_ cat want everyone to think he's a slut? How can you take pride in that?"

"What the hell is 'asexual'?" Tugger asked, not sure if he should take offense at that. There was no doubt he was a tom physically, there was nothing "asexual" about him.

"It's some word I've heard humans use for a person who doesn't want to mate with males or females," he explained, a bit annoyed at the interruption. "It just seemed to fit you- sorry if I made a mistake."

"Huh," The Maine Coon said, ruffling Quaxo's head fur. "I don't really like the word, and I'm not sure if it fits me. It sounds too clinical," he said, scrunching up his nose, "Besides, there's nothing asexual about how I feel about you," he added, grabbing the tux's waist and kissing his neck.

"If I'm the only one you're like this with you can't whine when people think you're gay," he replied, purring.

Tugger sulked for a moment about this, although it was true. Even if he'd been with 100 queens, he imagined that most people would go by who you're with right now, and that was something he'd have to accept. "Fine. Just as long as you know I'm not."

The tux chuckled, "Don't worry, Tugger, I've always known that you defy labels." He agreed before turning around to properly kiss the tom.

After an hour or so of getting thoroughly distracted from what they had been talking about, Quaxo was meticulously grooming himself as the Maine Coon was relaxing and letting his brain reorient itself.

"Hey," Tugger said, stretching slightly before rolling over to face the tux, who looked up curiously. "Misto- can I ask you something?"

The tux took a break from his cleaning to walk over, concerned by such a serious question. "Sure, you always can. You don't need to ask."

He nodded, "It's just a weird question," the small tom raised an eyebrow, wondering what on earth this cat could consider weird. "Erm, well, would you call me 'Rum'? It's what my dad and brother always called me and I just like it when the cats I'm close to use it." The older tom scratched his ear, not sure why he felt so uncomfortable asking for this.

"Can I call you 'Rummy'?" he asked, nuzzling the tom.

The coon laughed, "Only if you can beat me at cards—_without _cheating!" he added to the small tom's grin.

Mistoffelees placed a paw to his chest in pretend offense. "I never cheat!" he insisted, "I only… adjust the odds in my favor." The conjuring cat sat back, smug. His card abilities were natural and not something he could control. As a kitten he determined that he couldn't lose at cards if he tried. This probably counted as cheating- but it wasn't like he could turn it off.

"Fine, fine, you can call me Rummy if you absolutely have to," he replied, rolling his eyes, "Are you happy now?"

"Yeah… Rum," he said, trying the name out. The Maine Coon scratched his cheek, clearly embarrassed about the whole thing, but smiled all the same. Quaxo couldn't help but wonder if calling a kitten by a type of alcohol had been the best idea, but didn't want to say anything.

The tux sighed, lying down next to Tugger. "So- I guess if you can deal with everyone making baseless assumptions about your sexuality, I can deal with people making baseless assumptions about my moral character and sanity."

"Um… Thank you." He replied uncertainly. "I guess that's your way of saying you're fine with me telling whoever I feel like telling?"

"Yeah, just warn me who you've told," he asked, placing his paws on his stomach, "it's good to keep tabs of such things."

---

Unfortunately for Tugger, getting to talk to his brother when Demeter was around had never been easy. He'd gotten lucky the last time- but it was unlikely for that to happen again. The tom groaned at the concept, Demeter had long ago decided that his life was very much her business and it would be impossible for her to let Tugger have a private conversation with her mate.

The best thing he could do was wait until she was chatting with Bombi and hope she didn't notice. And when someone else wasn't bothering him. And when he didn't seem too busy with other things. Sometimes, having the second-in-command and protector of the jellicles was more trouble than it was worth.

After a week of trying to find just such a time, he finally made peace with having Demeter stick her nose into this. Of course, this was when he finally got lucky enough to find his brother more or less alone. A part of him felt guilty because Munk so rarely got a chance to relax, but he had to do this at some point.

"Hey, big brother," he said cheerfully, sitting down next to the grey tabby who almost leapt out of his skin at the intrusion.

"Oh, hey Rum," Munkustrap said with a groan, "What do you want?"

"Is this a bad time? Because this can wait," he asked uncertainly, feeling even guiltier about this.

The tabby shook his head, "It's always a bad time, and I'd rather find out sooner than later."

"It's not a bad thing this time, honest." The tabby did not look convinced by this, but didn't get a chance to say anything as his mate came over to look for him. The Maine Coon managed to repress a growl, but he still grimaced at the golden queen's arrival. The feeling was most obviously mutual.

"Hey honey," she said cheerfully, sitting next to her mate and giving him a peck on the cheek before turning a sour glare to Tugger, "What do _you_ want?"

"He was just about to tell me that, love," Munkustrap assured her, sincerely wishing that he could be elsewhere.

Tugger shook his head and stood up, "Actually- this is something I'd really not say in front of Deme, so I'll just try to catch you later. Sorry to've bothered you."

"Anything you can say to Munkustrap you can say to me," the queen insisted, glaring at him. It was one of her 'and if you don't do it now I'll personally make sure you never have the chance to catch him alone' glares, which he'd received in the past. The two cats knew each other far too well.

"You said it wasn't a bad thing, so it shouldn't be that hard to tell her about," 'Strap sighed.

Demeter raised an eyebrow at this. "Somehow I doubt that- the only _good_ news you could possibly have is that you're giving up your life of debauchery and settling down."

Tugger groaned, and this was why he didn't want his darling in-law to be involved in this conversation. "Close enough," he muttered, still refusing to sit.

"What does that even mean?" Demeter asked, unimpressed.

The Maine Coon rolled his eyes. "It _means_ that I wasn't living a life of debauchery in the first place," the golden queen snorted at this, "And I don't even know what 'settling down' means'."

"That doesn't surprise me," she muttered just quiet enough to be considered 'under her breath' but she made sure that Tugger heard it. "To start with- not gyrating your hips at any queen who happens to walk by. And to actually start thinking about more than just how to get tail."

"Oh, is that all? Then yeah," he said simply. Demeter gawked before shaking her head. She would believe it when she saw it.

Munkustrap was a bit more willing to give his brother the benefit of the doubt. In fact, at this news, it was all he could do to keep his composure. If his brother was sincere, this would make his life so much easier. That and he had a suspicion about what brought it on. "Is there any reason for this, or did you just decide to?" he asked innocently, making sure to contain his joy rather than jinx it.

"Yeah- that's something I'm not talking about in front of your mate. No offense to you- Munk," he said, glancing over at the golden queen who simply rolled her eyes at the slight jab.

The grey tabby nodded, hoping this would mean he wouldn't have to be in the middle of those two for much longer. In a sense he always was, but it was only when they were in the same place that it was a problem. The two had such strong personalities, and a good sense of where to draw the line, that he realized long ago he'd have to just let them bicker, so his presence wasn't really adding to anything except an eye witness in case the two ever snapped.

Demeter scoffed, "Please- knowing you, this is just some phase. Did you decide you have a 'real' crush on some poor queen who's heart you're just going to break when you realize you aren't cut out for a real relationship?"

Tugger grimaced, it was good to see that Demeter's ability to single out his deepest insecurity and play on it was still well in tact. But letting her see how much that shook him was not something this tom was willing to do, so he just shrugged. "Alright- you can think that if you want to. Doesn't bug me."

"I don't think, I know," she growled, "Please tell me it's Bombalurina- at least she's smart enough not to get attached to you."

"If you think Bombi has any interest in 'settling down'- you really need to spend some more time around her," he replied with a chuckle, trying to picture that. It gave him a good perspective of how bizarre the idea of him deciding to do this must be.

Demeter's tail twitched, and she looked at him skeptically, "Fine then- who is it? I want to make sure you don't do any damage."

"It's someone who can look after himself," he muttered, "And doesn't need you babysitting him." The queen glared at him for this, about to respond when she realized what pronouns have been used.

"'Him'? Another tom How does that even work?"

The Maine Coon glanced uncertainly at his brother for a moment before looking back at the queen, "What do you mean?"

The golden queen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Never mind- knowing you it won't matter next week anyways," she said with a sigh, leaning over and kissing Munk's cheek, "I'll see you later, love." And with that she headed off, not even interested in knowing what was going on.

"I get the feeling your mate thinks that 'gay' means 'happy'," Tugger mused. "I probably wasn't the right cat to introduce her to the concept."

Munkustrap frowned, "It isn't that uncommon is it? I don't even remember when I found out."

"Wasn't it about the time Alonzo kissed you when you two were kittens?" the coon asked, leaning back with a smirk. The grey tabby blushed, he had forgotten about that.

"Yeah… That was kind of awkward," he admitted, scratching his cheek nervously as he tried to remember what had happened. They were still good friends so he was guessing he'd handled it well enough. "Maybe it isn't that common, then."

"I really have no idea, not sure if I care."

Munkustrap nodded, "I'm not convinced you care about anything- so that doesn't surprise me."

"Apathy has its advantages, you know. For one- very low stress."

The tabby ignored that. He'd been having this conversation with his brother for years and expected to be having it for the rest of their lives. "It's Quaxo, isn't it?" the tabby asked after a moment of trying to figure out who it could be. Tugger nodded, stretching slightly as he did. The grey tabby shook his head, "I guess opposites _do_ attract, then. At least I know he's sensible enough not to rush into anything or get hurt."

"So you don't have to meddle? Damn, and I was so looking forward to the awkward moments that would undoubtedly come," the coon said, wishing he could feel insulted at the lack of confidence his brother had in him.

"Oh, I was definitely planning to," he replied with a grin, "But if that tux has convinced you to stop flirting, then I'm pretty sure that meddling is unnecessary."

"He didn't."

"What?"

"He didn't convince me to stop- he was actually really fine with it so long as it didn't go any farther," he explained softly, staring at his hind paws. "I'm the one who decided to because now it just feels hollow. I think I might actually love him, Munk."

The jellicle protector stared at his brother for a moment, not entirely able to believe what he had just heard. This was entirely too good to be true, but he ended up laughing anyways.

"Everlasting cat- now I'll never be able to convince Demeter that's true," he groaned, wondering how on earth to explain all of this to her.

Tugger grinned at that, taking a bit more pleasure than he should at the confusion this would undoubtedly cause the queen. "Think we should tell dad?"

Munkustrap paused. It was questions like these that had caused him to go grey so young(this wasn't true, but it was a convincing story). "Um… Let's try not to," he said with a nervous grin, "I think that might actually kill him."

"That's what I was thinking as well," the Maine Coon agreed, shaking his head, "Just making sure we're on the same page."

----

The golden queen had retreated to their lair. Confusion was buzzing in her head. She played with a small trinket she had had since she was a kitten, trying to get this to make sense. Although she still didn't think that Tugger would be in a serious relationship with _anyone_, the idea of two toms was foreign to her.

She turned around when her mate came in a cocked her head to one side. "Have fun talking to your brother?"

"Eh, it's as interesting as it always is," he agreed, nuzzling her gently. "How're you doing?"

Demeter twitched her tail, "I'm fine- why wouldn't I be?"

The tabby grabbed her up in a hug with a smile, "Because I get the feeling you've never heard of two toms being mates again- and it might be a strange thing to find out about."

The golden queen bit her lip, "I thought you took a mate to have kittens. Can you really love someone otherwise?

"Tell me something," he said suddenly, cupping her chin in his paw and looking into her eyes, "Even if we couldn't have kittens- would you still love me?"

"Of course!" she insisted, hesitating, "We _can_ though, right?"

The tabby smirked, "As far as I know, yes, and I do intend to prove it one day," he assured her.

The queen smiled softly, not quite believing that it would ever be calm enough for them to. "I suppose I see your point- but I still don't think Tugger's serious."

"I have to admit, he does not seem the type," Munk admitted with a sigh. He wanted it to work out, but he knew his brother too well. Tugger had never been one for commitment. "But he might surprise us- that is what he's best at."

Demeter nodded, nonconvinced. She lay her head on her tom's chest, smiling at the comforting sound of his heartbeat. "We are going to have kittens one day, right?"

"Of course, just not—"

"—until things calm down. Until Macavity," she shivered at the name, "isn't a risk. Until the tribe doesn't need you so much. Until your father is doing better. Something will always come up," she finished for him sadly.

The tabby sighed heavily, this conversation never got easier. "I promise I'll think about how to hurry this up, Deme, I know how much it means to you." He assured her, gently kissing the top of her head.

* * *

***I read at least one fic where Alonzo and Munk were together- and I do think they'd be cute together. And, no, no unrequited love for Alonzo. It was just one kiss and they both agreed there were no sparks. Tugger only remembers because he remembers everything he can tease his brother about later.

I may end up taking a break from this fic to keep this from happening again. I think I need to give it some time to think about all this- sorry.


End file.
